THE HARD WORD Rating: (out of 5 stars) Director: Scott Roberts Producer: Al Clark Writer: Scott Roberts Director of Photography: Brian Breheny Cast: Guy Pearce, Rachel Griffiths Visit the IMDB page for full cast and crew

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Review by: Curtis Raines
6/9/03

For me, The Hard Word will go down as one of the most difficult movies to review this year. It's certainly not an effort to overlook, but on the other hand, it's not something that will make heads turn. I'm really on the bubble with this film, and I'm not so sure that's the reaction a filmmaker is looking for in its audience.

Guy Pearce, whom I felt was the next coming, once again settles for a mediocre role in a mediocre project. Scott Roberts writing and directorial debut left me lackadaisical and yearning for some explanations. For instance, someone please fill me in on what the hell "The Hard Word" even means. The ending left me confused and, quite frankly, was very anti-climactic.

The scene is Sydney, Australia, where three brothers are released from prison to once again do what they do best -- steal money. It's the traditional setup; one dumb brother, one screwed up angry brother and the one brother who knows best and calls all the shots (Guy Pearce). But these three are not your typical criminals for they follow the strict policy of no violence. They are also under the guidance and scrutiny of corrupt officials -- not really any back-story on how or why this came about; you sort of have to fill in the pieces yourself. Anyway, like most heist movies, greed conquers all, as they can't turn down the ultimate payoff. Some double-crossing goes on, tension builds, some twist are thrown in and what's left after the smoke settles is a marginal first time effort by writer/director Scott Roberts.

First and foremost, Guy Pearce should seriously reevaluate his process of selecting roles. What in the hell has happened to Pearce? The question is not about his ability, but rather where is he trying to go with his career? He hasn't done anything worth mentioning after one of the best acting performances in the last ten years in Memento. I do admire him for going back to his independent roots but his role in The Hard Word seems like a wasted solid effort.

In the press notes, Scott Roberts' style was compared to that of the Coen brothers. And to Roberts' credit I must say that there are some similarities (although very minimal). There are a few quirky characters and bizarre situations that left the audience in mild laughter, but comparing first-time director Roberts to two established comedic masters like the Coen brothers is simply too much of an expectation to levy on anyone. In fact, only after reading the press notes was I able to recognize the slight resemblance.

There are many holes in this project that led to its ultimate path of mediocrity. A number of characters that seemed to be significant to the story are introduced but then quickly forgotten about -- a big no-no with me. This movie is more than a heist movie; it's a movie about brotherhood and how far you can push the limits. And I really enjoyed this aspect of it. But it fails to explore in-depth the characters faced with these circumstances. Why would these three brothers turn to a life of crime? They seem well adjusted on the surface. It touches on the subject but never fully explores it.

Peripherally, the story works. But I need more than just a film noir knock off. Scott Roberts envisioned this script in a dream and then quickly penned a first draft (not too different from the final draft) in the following days. Now I fully understand why professionals give the advice that writing is rewriting. If you don't rewrite, too many stories are left unfinished and too many character issues are left incomplete. That's the main problem with The Hard Word, and that's why it's so difficult to put a finger on. It's the type of movie you want to like, but it leaves you unresolved.

(A Lions Gate Films release. Opens in New York and Los Angeles on June 13, 2003.)