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MED231 Australian Cinema - Critical Review and Bibliography
By Kate Maher

THE HARD WORD


PRINCIPAL CAST AND CREDITS:
Directed: Scott Roberts
Writing credits: Scott Roberts
Producer: Al Clark
Executive producer: Hilary Davis
Executive producer: Gareth Jones
Original music: David Thrussell
Cinematography: Brian J. Breheny
Film Editing: Martin Connor
Casting: Ann Robinson
Production Design: Paddy Reardon
First Assistant Director: Brendan Campbell

CAST (in credits order):
Dale: Guy Pearce
Carol: Rachel Griffiths
Frank: Robert Taylor
Shane: Joel Edgerton
Mal: Damien Richardson
Jane: Rhondda Findleton
Pamela: Kate Atkinson
Kelly: Vince Colosimo
O'Riordan: Paul Sonkkila
Paul: Kym Gyngell
Tarzan: Dorian Nkono

OTHER FILM INFORMATION:
Also known as: Blood and Guts (working title)
Rating: MA15+ (for strong violence, language, sexuality and brief drug use)
Run Time: 103 minutes
Filming locations: Melbourne and Sydney, Australia

RELEASE DATES:

Australia 30 May 2002
Israel 16 August 2002 (premiere)
Israel 22 August 2002
USA 12 April 2003 (Philadelphia International Film Festival)
USA 13 June 2003 (limited)
USA 27 June 2003
Japan 28 June 2003 (Tokyo)
Norway 10 September 2003 (video premiere)
UK 12 September 2003
Germany 26 November 2003 (DVD premiere)
Belgium 19 May 2004


BOX OFFICE FIGURES:

Opening Weekend
$9,422 (USA) (15 June 2003) (1 Screen)
AUD 829,662 (Australia) (2 June 2002)
Gross
$422,688 (USA) (3 August 2003)
$400,844 (USA) (27 July 2003)
$351,558 (USA) (20 July 2003)
$302,650 (USA) (13 July 2003)
$242,516 (USA) (6 July 2003)
$145,438 (USA) (29 June 2003)
$55,074 (USA) (22 June 2003)
$9,422 (USA) (15 June 2003)
AUD 2,829,752 (Australia) (3 July 2002)
AUD 2,698,432 (Australia) (26 June 2002)
AUD 2,432,059 (Australia) (19 June 2002)
AUD 1,881,361 (Australia) (12 June 2002)
AUD 1,110,321 (Australia) (5 June 2002)
Weekend Gross
$9,185 (USA) (3 August 2003) (12 Screens)
$31,354 (USA) (27 July 2003) (26 Screens)
$31,297 (USA) (20 July 2003) (26 Screens)
$28,454 (USA) (13 July 2003) (30 Screens)
$57,102 (USA) (6 July 2003) (38 Screens)
$76,571 (USA) (29 June 2003) (38 Screens)
$40,599 (USA) (22 June 2003) (7 Screens)
$9,422 (USA) (15 June 2003) (1 Screen)
Filming Dates
30 July 2001 - 22 September 2001
Copyright Holder
© 2002 Australian Film Finance Corporation Limited, Wildheart Films Pty Limited


INTERVIEWS WITH FILMMAKERS:

Director Scott Roberts on The Hard Word
Keith Austin, "Price of thieves" from the Sydney Morning Herald, 24 May 2002,
http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2002/05/23/1022038458153.html
"The Hard Word Spreads to the US", 14 May 2002, http://www.if.com.au/tools/find.taf?fn=detail&id=1120
(The extended interviews with Joel Edgerton and producer Al Clark are in the May 2002 issue of Inside Film Magazine.)

I found these links by going to the interviews section of the Inside Film Magazine website here: http://www.if.com.au/interviews.html. I searched for writer and director "Scott Roberts" and producer "Al Clark".



REVIEWS:

The Hard Word was released in Australia in 2002, so therefore there is not much to be found about this film in books and journals, but there are plenty of reviews on the internet. I found a site called Movie Review Query Engine which produced 84 articles on The Hard Word. This is the link:
http://www.mrqe.com/lookup?The+Hard+Word

This site has reviews from various newspapers and magazines from all around the world. Here are a few of the reviews:

Chicago Sun-Times (Roger Ebert): http://www.suntimes.com/ebert/ebert_reviews/2003/06/062702.html
Boxoffice Magazine: http://www.boxoffice.com/scripts/fiw.dll?GetReview?&where=ID&terms=7523
Movie Marshal (Paul Boschen): http://www.moviemarshal.com/rp-hardword.html
hybridmagazine.com: http://www.hybridmagazine.com/films/0703/hard-word.shtml
Sunday Online, Australia (Peter Thompson): http://sunday.ninemsn.com.au/sunday/film_reviews/article_1062.asp
SeattleMovieCritic.com (Jeff Walls): http://seattlemoviecritic.com/2003%20Reviews/Hard%20Word,%20The%20(2003)/hard_word.htm

The Internet Movie Database (IMDb) has a list of printed media reviews, which are:
Gleiberman, Owen. "The Hard Word - Who gets ripped off in this soft-edged crime caper? You. (C-)". In: Entertainment Weekly (USA), Vol. 1, Iss. 715, 20 June 2003, Pg. 56, (MG)
Howe, Desson. "The Hard Word (R, 102 minutes)". In "The Washington Post" (USA), Vol. 126, Iss. 204, 27 June 2003
Hunter, Stephen. "Aussie Thieves, Out to Steal Your Evening". In "The Washington Post" (USA), Vol. 126, Iss. 204, 27 June 2003, Pg. C5, (NP)
Missy Schwartz. "DVD & Video: The Hard Word (C)". In: Entertainment Weekly 106pp (USA), Iss. 732, 10 October 2003, (MG)
Richard Falcon. In: Sight and Sound (UK) November 2003, Vol. 13


ONLINE PRESENCE:

The official website for The Hard Word is: http://www.thehardwordmovie.com/. This site has a synopsis of the story, cast and crew information, a message board, and you can also view the trailer for the film.

I searched for "The Hard Word" in the Yahoo! Movies Directory and got these results:
All Movie Guide: The Hard Word - includes cast and production credits. http://www.allmovie.com/cg/avg.dll?p=avg&sql=A265806
Hollywood Bitchslap: The Hard Word - includes user ratings and a review. http://hollywoodbitchslap.com/review.php?movie=5938
IMDb: The Hard Word - includes a cast overview for the Scott Roberts film starring Guy Pearce. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0280490/
Rotten Tomatoes: The Hard Word - plot synopsis and reviews. http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/TheHardWord-1123215/?rtp=1

Being a recent Australian movie, there are not too many web sites about the film, but I found many reviews - from both Australian and international reviewers.


COLLECTING INFORMATION:

Because The Hard Word is a relatively new movie (released within the last few years), I could find no information in any books or journals. I don't have any newspapers or magazines from when the film was released, but I found a lot of reviews and information about this film on the internet. The internet is the main source for information about The Hard Word, and I also used some of the "Special Features" on the DVD of the movie. The special features has a behind the scenes section with short interviews with some of the cast and crew, and also has an audio commentary of the film with writer and director Scott Roberts.


SYNOPSIS:

The Hard Word, written and directed by Scott Roberts, is about the Twentyman brothers' (Guy Pearce, Joel Edgerton, and Damien Richardson) ability to carry out successful robberies. The brothers plan and perform these robberies with the help of their lawyer Frank (Robert Taylor), corrupt policemen and the prison governor. Pearce plays Dale, the oldest brother and brains of the family, Edgerton plays Shane, the muscles of the family, while Richardson's Mal is the heart of the family.

The film picks up when the brothers have just finished serving their time in prison for armed robbery. Dale rightly suspects Frank of having an affair with his wife Carol (Rachel Griffiths) while he has been in prison. The brothers are soon after involved in another heist and end up back in prison after a hitch with the police "paperwork". Frank gets the brothers out on bail but there is a catch - they must pull off one last big job for him - robbing the Melbourne Cup.

Dale realises that they are being set up so that Frank can make off with both the money and Carol, and plans deceits of his own.

Roberts says The Hard Word is a film about mateship. The film shows the brothers are very close and are good at what they do, working together well as a team. Their only rule is that no one gets hurt.


CRITICIAL REVIEW/COMMENTARY:

I think two of the principal aspects of The Hard Word are the great cast and the humour.

I really enjoy Australian crime films such as The Hard Word and Gregor Jordan's Two Hands (1999) because of the Australian sense of humour and the portrayal of the Australian 'gangster'. The main difference between Australian and American gangster films is the portrayal of the actual gangster. Australian criminals are comic figures, while the American gangster has often been seen as a "tragic figure" (Garry Gillard, MED231 Week 3 Lecture Notes: Crime). It is often the situations in which main characters find themselves that have humorous aspects. The three brothers struggling away from the Melbourne Cup with the huge bags of money was almost slapstick. Australian crime films rely heavily on the Australian humour, which can, at times, be filthy.

There are plenty of action sequences and interesting characters to add to the enjoyment of watching the film. I thought this movie had an excellent cast; almost all of the principal characters were played by well-known Australian actors. Headed by a superb performance by Guy Pearce, the great cast almost helped the film to become such a hit. Pearce, Joel Edgerton and Damien Richardson worked well as the criminal brothers, and Rachel Griffiths was great as Dale's femme-fatal wife, Carol. The movie was, in a way, more about the characters and the relationships than the actual crimes. The fact that they are criminals is made to seem almost irrelevant. The performances of newcomers Joel Edgerton and Damien Richardson make them worth watching in future assignments.

The Hard Word is all about the clever web of double-crossings and deceit, involving the brothers, Frank, Carol and the cops, but when Dale gives away the location of the money to Frank, I thought that spoilt the story a bit. It seemed a bit too obvious, and not like something that a criminal would do. Roberts' had an interesting angle to the story; wanting to show that crime does pay. He created the dirty cops and deceptive lawyer to make the criminal brothers seem like the good guys. The suspense of the movie hinges on who is ultimately going to end up on top, and to who Carol's loyalty lies.

The film did not have a huge amount of graphic violence which I thought was good - I don't like to see a lot of 'blood-and-guts' in stories, unless it really does add to the film as a whole. The brothers' rule that no one gets hurt during the heists is a clever twist, and shows that the brothers are not all bad.

The DVD of the film has many great special features including a commentary from writer and director Scott Roberts.


CRITICAL UPTAKE:

The film The Hard Word uses typically Australian humour, which works well among Australian viewers, but not so well internationally. Many international reviewers stated they found the Australian jargon and accents difficult to understand at times. Many Americans don't get the Australian sense of humour. Australian reviews of The Hard Word are positive and complimentary, while many international reviews tend to be less favourable, perhaps because of the lack of understanding of the humour and cultural differences.

Margaret A. McGurk for the Cincinnati Enquirer says, "The roughneck Aussie accents can be tough to decipher."

Many reviewers compare The Hard Word to other crime movies, Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels in particular, instead of judging it on its own merits. This means it has a lot to live up to and many consider it to fall short. It is hard for a movie to perform well and be complemented as a good production if it is constantly being compared to other movies, especially films that have done very well.

Paula Nechak for the Seattle Post-Intelligencer says, "The Hard Word treads too closely to Quentin Tarentino and Guy Ritchie turf to claim much original thought."
Mark Caro (Chicago Tribune Movie Writer) says, "This Australian production pairs two always-watchable actors, Guy Pearce and Rachel Griffiths, yet never compels us to feel a thing."
Margaret A. McGurk (The Cincinnati Enquirer) says, "The Hard Word has some tough acts to follow - specifically Guy Ritchie's delicious screwball crime capers Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels and Snatch. Comparisons are inevitable, and this Australian import does not always measure up to the giddy, shocking surprises that Ritchie delivered."

The comments are not all negative. Many reviewers enjoyed the movie, and while still compare it to Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels and other crime films, they wrote great reviews of the movie.

Kenneth Turan for the Los Angeles Times did praise the movie, but does think the story is similar to others. He says, "The Australian crime drama remains anything but ordinary, despite the twists and turns of a familiar story line."
Mick LaSalle for the San Francisco Chronicle says, "...entertaining mix of comedy and drama enlivens what might have been a routine crime movie."

The comparison between The Hard Word and Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels is not completely a bad thing because many of the people who enjoyed Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels will also enjoy watching The Hard Word.


CIRCUMSTANCES OF PRODUCTION, RELEASE AND BOX-OFFICE:

The inspiration for The Hard Word came when Scott Roberts heard a real life true story about a gang of bank-robbing brothers who once operated from a New South Wales prison, and who were run by some crooked cops.

Roberts says, "I had long wanted to do a 'crime does pay' story. Something for nothing is a universal fantasy, and crime offers far better odds than the Lotto."

Roberts presented the script to producer Al Clark, whom he had known for many years, with the request that he wanted to direct (for the first time) as well.

Clark set about finding the perfect cast by approaching Guy Pearce to take the lead role of eldest brother Dale. The Hard Word was the first time Guy Pearce and Rachel Griffiths had worked together, something they were both looking forward to. Damien Richardson had recently worked with Pearce on stage in Melbourne and it was on Pearce's suggestion that he be considered for Mal. Roberts knew Joel Edgerton would be ideal as Shane when he saw his work in a number of acclaimed short films.

Production designed Paddy Reardon began discussions with Roberts very early on in the development period to settle on the look of the film. The work of Australian artist Jeffrey Smart was chosen as the reference. "Smart's palette of five or six colours - blues, tans, a kind of red and musky purples were used as our colour badge for institutional locations," said Reardon.

Director of Photography, Brian Breheny, first worked with Clark on The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert. Breheny was also keen for the challenge of shooting the action sequences in the film.

Although The Hard Word is predominantly set in Sydney, Melbourne was selected as the principal location. The decommissioned prison Pentridge in Melbourne's inner North was a principal location for the film because of its multiple uses. Much of the prison still remains intact and provides excellent shooting conditions because it is a closed site and therefore very workable.

In terms of tempo and style, Connor aimed for a 'slow burn'. "We wanted to convey a sense of inevitability across the course of the film so that you know you are being pulled toward a conclusion but you're not quite sure what that conclusion is." This mood is created in tandem with the fully composed score by David Thrussell, which is often intensely romantic.

(This information is from Rotten Tomatoes 'Production Notes' of The Hard Word at http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/TheHardWord-1123215/about.php#notes)

Awards:
Australian Screen Sound Guild (ASSG) Awards, 2002: Best Achievement in Sound for a Feature Film - Effects Editing (Julius Chan, Liam Price)
Australian Screen Sound Guild (ASSG) Awards, 2002: Best Achievement in Sound for a Feature Film - Foley Recording & Editing (Les Fiddess and Mauricio Hernandez)
Australian Screen Sound Guild (ASSG) Awards, 2002: Best Achievement in Sound for a Feature Film - Mixing (Phil Judd, Peter Purcell)
Australian Screen Sound Guild (ASSG) Awards, 2002: Soundtrack of the Year (John Schiefelbein, Katy Wood, Angus Robertson, Danielle Wiessner, Les Fiddess, Mauricio Hernandez, Julius Chan, Liam Price, Phil Judd, Peter Purcell, Christian Bass)
If Awards, 2002: Best Sound (John Schiefelbein, Phil Judd, Julius Chan, Angus Robertson)

Nominations:
ARIA Music Awards, 2002: Best Original Soundtrack Album, David Thrussell
Australian Film Institute (AFI) Awards, 2002: Best Actor in a Supporting Role, Joel Edgerton
Australian Film Institute (AFI) Awards, 2002: Best Actress in a Leading Role, Rachel Griffiths
Film Critics Circle of Australia (FCCA) Awards, 2002: Best Actor - Male, Guy Pearce
Film Critics Circle of Australia (FCCA) Awards, 2002: Best Editing, Martin Connor
Film Critics Circle of Australia (FCCA) Awards, 2002: Best Music Score, David Thrussell
Film Critics Circle of Australia (FCCA) Awards, 2002: Best Supporting Actor - Male, Joel Edgerton


PRIOR WORK:

Scott Roberts, writer/director: While The Hard Word (2002) is Scott Roberts' first role as director, he has written other film scripts, including the adventure/drama K2 (1992), the TV drama Shadow of the Cobra (1989) and the sci-fi/comedy Riders of the Storm (1986).

Al Clark, producer: Al Clark has produced many movies, including the comedies Siam Sunset (1999) and The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert (1994) and the thriller Heaven's Burning (1997). Clark has also been executive producer for many Australian movies, including the drama/thriller Chopper in 2000, and was co-producer for the 1999 thriller/mystery Eye of the Beholder. Many of Clark's previous films share genres; many of them are drama/thrillers or mysteries.

Brian J. Breheny, cinematographer: Brian J. Breheny's previous work is a bit of a mixture of genres, including comedies, thrillers and even the musical comedy The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert (1994), for which he was director of photography. The adventure/drama The Other Side of Heaven (2001) and the comedies My Mother Frank (2000) and Siam Sunset (1999) are other examples of his work.

Guy Pearce, Dale: Guy Pearce has certainly proven himself to be a credible actor overseas as well as in Australia cinema, with roles in many major American productions such as the action/adventure films The Time Machine (2002) and The Count of Monte Cristo (2002) and the thrillers Memento (2000) and Rules of Engagement (2000). A notable film in Pearce's filmography is L.A. Confidential, a 1997 crime thriller, which fits into the same genre as The Hard Word. Pearce has also been in Australian comedy films such as Dating the Enemy (1996) and The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert (1994).

Rachel Griffiths, Carol: Rachel Griffiths has made a name for herself not only in Australian cinema, but also in American film and television productions. Her filmography consists greatly of romance/comedy and drama films, but she has been in several crime films prior to The Hard Word. Griffiths has also been in the 2002 Australian drama Ned Kelly, the romantic comedies Muriel's Wedding (1994) and My Best Friend's Wedding (1997), and the crime/thriller films Blow (2001), Divorcing Jack (1998) and To Have and to Hold (1996).

Robert Taylor, Frank: Robert Taylor is another member of the cast of The Hard Word who has made a name for himself in overseas film. Taylor has been in thrillers such as The Matrix (1999), Vertical Limit (2000) and After the Rain (2000), and the 2003 Australian drama Ned Kelly.

Joel Edgerton, Shane: Joel Edgerton made a name for himself in the Australian television drama series The Secret Life of Us (2001-2002), and has also been in such movies as the drama Ned Kelly (2003) and the drama/comedy The Night We Called It a Day (2003). Edgerton will also be in the upcoming action/adventure films King Arthur (2004) and Star Wars: Episode III (2005).

Damien Richardson, Mal: Damien Richardson is a relatively unknown compared with the rest of the cast of The Hard Word, although proving himself to be a great actor. Richardson has been in a variety of films, including the 199 thriller Redball, the drama Mallboy (2001), and comedies Horseplay (2003) and the upcoming Josh Jarman (2004).

Vince Colosimo, Kelly: Vince Colosimo is another Australian actor who has made a name for himself overseas. Though he only has a small role in The Hard Word, he is part of the star-studded Australian cast of the movie. Colosimo has played a variety of roles, including a few crime films and thrillers such as Lantana (2001) and Chopper (2000). He has also been in numerous Australian comedies, such as Take Away (2003), The Nugget (2002) and The Wog Boy (2000).


POSITION OF AUSTRALIAN FILM AND ITS VALUE:

Australian film is becoming more accepted and more respected internationally, but some people still don't really understand the Australian way. Some people have difficulties with the Australian accents and jargon, and some think of Australian filmmaking as amateurish compared with the high-budget American productions.

There are a lot of Australian films that have been very popular overseas, such as Crocodile Dundee and The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert, and Australian crime films are becoming more accepted with the success of movies such as Chopper. Australian film's share of the box office went from 4 per cent in 1998 to 8 per cent in 2001, and is on the rise.

In Australia, Australian films are hugely successful. We Australians, of course, have no problem understanding the accents, and we understand the humour. Movies such as The Castle and Two Hands have done well in Australia, but not so well overseas.

With the huge success of Australian actors in Hollywood, for example Nicole Kidman, Russell Crowe, Heath Ledger, Eric Bana and Naomi Watts, as well as The Hard Word's Guy Pearce and Rachel Griffiths, Australian actors and films are becoming more popular overseas. The big-name Aussie actors help to promote Australian film when they play a role in an Australian film because many people will watch that film because they are a fan of the actor.


GENRE:

Genre means "type" or "kind" and is a concept which allows screen texts to be organised into recognisable types. The Hard Word is a "crime" film, or a "gangster" film. Crime and gangster films are developed around the destructive actions of criminals or gangsters. A criminal is, as defined in The Budget Macquarie Dictionary, "a person guilty of or convicted of a crime". The Twentyman brothers in The Hard Word are criminals. They work together with their lawyer and corrupt policemen to pull off heists, including the big final heist of the film - robbing the Melbourne Cup. Rivalry with other gangs or criminals is often a significant plot characteristic of crime films and the rivalry in The Hard Word is between eldest Twentyman brother Dale (Guy Pearce) and their lawyer Frank (Robert Taylor).

One of the sub-genres of "crime" is the gangster film, where crime is seen 'from the inside'. As a result, many criminals in these films are often portrayed as the victims of circumstance because the stories are told from their point of view, and the viewer is led to empathise with them. In The Hard Word, the point of view is that of the Twentyman brothers. The brothers show fairness in ensuring that no-one ever gets hurt during their bank raids and are made out to look like the good guys because their crooked lawyer manipulates them and sets the brothers up to do a job for him and then arranges for them to be killed.

Guy Pearce reinforces this point in an interview when talking about The Hard Word. He says, "The down to Earth working class guy says, 'None of you are better then me. We are all on the same level.' And that guy was so poor at some time in his life that he had to go and nick something. Then there's good reason for that. It's not morally correct but it's not as cut and dry as it is in this country where you're the bad guy and you're the good guy. He's only bad because he had to do this. This film is very Australian, which is a particular sense of humour when you are caught in a dire situation and yet you can manage to laugh about it."

Jay Richardson says in his review of The Hard Word, "One of the successes of this decidedly Australian heist movie is that you continually root for its thieving protagonists."

Racing and betting are big parts of the Australian lifestyle, and are included in many Australian crime films. In The Hard Word, the big heist is at the Melbourne Cup.

Frequent sights in crime and gangster films include dark nightclubs or streets, fast cars, piles of cash, sleazy bars, illegal goods and run-down living areas.


REFERENCES:

1. IMDb: http://www.imdb.com/ (The Hard Word)
2. Rotten Tomatoes: http://www.rottentomatoes.com/ (The Hard Word)
3. Film in Australia: http://www.acn.net.au/articles/film/
4. Yahoo! Movies (The Hard Word): http://movies.yahoo.com/shop?d=hv&cf=info&id=1808403209&intl=us
5. Jay Richardson, "The Hard Word", http://www.futuremovies.co.uk/review.asp?ID=98
6. David DiCerto, "The Hard Word", http://www.catholicnews.com/data/movies/03mv104.htm
7. M/C Reviews, "The Hard Word", http://reviews.media-culture.org.au/article.php?sid=382
8. Jules Brenner for filmcritic.com, "The Hard Word", http://filmcritic.com/misc/emporium.nsf/84dbbfa4d710144986256c290016f76e/e6ea8959df7ed4f688256d4100093593?OpenDocument