The Hard Word Review
by Steve Rhodes (Steve DOT Rhodes AT InternetReviews DOT com)June 19th, 2003
THE HARD WORD
A film review by Steve Rhodes
Copyright 2003 Steve Rhodes
RATING (0 TO ****): **
Just when you thought the last of the Quentin Tarantino wannabes were gone, Australian writer/director Scott Roberts shows up with THE HARD WORD, a crime caper comedy that is one more Tarantino rip-off. The movie has trouble establishing a consistent tone with too much time spent in petty bickering and not enough in robbing people.
A sometimes entertaining but completely forgettable film, it stars MEMENTO's Guy Pearce as Dale, the head of a small gang of crooks, whose members include picky-eater Shane (Joel Edgerton) and meat-loving Mal (Damien Richardson). In the best of the film's many quirky episodes, Shane finds a sympathetic, prison therapist named Jane (Rhondda Findleton) who has a uniquely satisfying way of helping him deal with his mommy issues. Rachel Griffiths plays Dale's wife, who is aptly described as "a greedy little tart," an expression that she would probably agree with.
The gang goes in and out of prison, thanks to Frank (Robert Taylor), their triple-dealing lawyer. Whenever they are out, they start working on their next, even bigger heist. The movie suffers from a bad case of multiple ending syndrome. After a decent conclusion, Roberts just keeps tacking on extra endings, with each one being worse than the one before it.
THE HARD WORD runs 1:42. It is rated R for "strong violence, language, sexuality and brief drug use" and would be acceptable for older teenagers.
The film opens nationwide in the United States on Friday, June 27, 2003. In the Silicon Valley, it will be showing at the Camera Cinemas.
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