The Hard Word
Lions Gate Films | Release Date: June 13, 2003 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
51
METASCORE
Mixed or average reviews based on 24 Critic Reviews
Positive:
7
Mixed:
15
Negative:
2
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
80
VarietyDavid Stratton
Hard-boiled entertainment in the Tarantino mold is leavened with a distinctively Aussie sense of humor in The Hard Word. Read full review
80
The New York TimesA.O. Scott
Amusingly gamy, an anecdotal crime film that's an antidote to the pile of overly slick robbery pictures of the past few years. Read full review
80
Los Angeles TimesKenneth Turan
Interests us in ways we don't expect. It has a mordant sense of humor and a gift for character and incident that has attracted two of Australia's best actors -- Guy Pearce and Rachel Griffiths -- as well as an excellent supporting cast. Read full review
75
San Francisco ChronicleMick LaSalle
Tense and compelling, with the added charm of a mischievous spirit. Read full review
67
Austin ChronicleMarrit Ingman
Works quite well for what it is: a wooly crime yarn with touches of humor and a satisfying, well-developed relationship between the schemers. Read full review
63
Chicago Sun-TimesRoger Ebert
This movie could obviously go on fooling us forever, but we are good sports only up to a point, and then our attention drifts. Shame, since there's so much good stuff in it, like how effortlessly Rachel Griffiths keeps two tough guys completely at her mercy. Read full review
63
New York PostMegan Lehmann
Some of the plot points are confusingly vague, the tone lurches wildly between genres, and the film's epilogue pushes the bounds of believability - but The Hard Word could never be accused of being predictable. Read full review
60
The A.V. ClubKeith Phipps
Roberts' script and direction show sparks of wit, but the plot comes lifted from countless heist films. Read full review
60
Chicago ReaderJonathan Rosenbaum
At times the plot developments in this post-Tarantino story seem so random they suggest automatic writing, but the characters and some of the settings kept me interested. Read full review
58
Portland OregonianKim Morgan
Though The Hard Word feels flimsy at times, its breeziness and humor, along with Pearce's performance, make it infinitely more amusing than it's got any right to be. You get the feeling that these actors had fun making this film, and that fun is contagious. Read full review
50
Boston GlobeTy Burr
Wonderful characters, these three, and The Hard Word never figures out what to do with them. Read full review
50
TV Guide MagazineMaitland McDonagh
A blackly comic, neo-noir heist picture, Australian screenwriter Scott Roberts's directing debut fairly oozes strenuous eccentricity. Read full review
50
PremiereAlex Kranz
Since the story really is about nothing more than who ends up with which bag of money, those eccentric details--that cow, the butchers' language--don't feel organic, but rather cosmetic. They're glamour to conceal the mundane. Read full review
50
New York Daily NewsJack Mathews
I may be wrong, but I think Guy Pearce is wearing Nicole Kidman's false nose in The Hard Word. Whatever it is that's on his face, it looks like a dead cod and won't win him an Oscar. Read full review
50
Village VoiceDavid Ng
Convoluted yet simple-minded, the movie frequently equates verbosity with wit. Read full review
50
Christian Science MonitorDavid Sterritt
The film would work better if its story unfolded more swiftly and if its twists were more unexpected. The acting is solid, though. Read full review
50
Seattle Post-IntelligencerSean Axmaker
Even a one-two punch from Australian stars Guy Pearce and Rachel Griffiths, who are wryly good in this crime caper, can't keep it from sinking into a cavern of cliches. Read full review
50
Chicago TribuneMark Caro
This Australian production pairs two always-watchable actors, Guy Pearce and Rachel Griffiths, yet never compels us to feel a thing. Read full review
42
Entertainment WeeklyOwen Gleiberman
An Australian crime caper that's one part ''Sexy Beast,'' one part ''The Full Monty,'' and three parts very flat soda. Read full review
40
Dallas ObserverRobert Wilonsky
The screenplay does enough sabotage on its own; the nose, perhaps, is there to give us something to focus on lest our minds wander and wonder just how we chose to kill an hour and 48 minutes giving this crime caper access to our pocketbooks. (Might be good on video, though. Or cable.) Read full review
40
L.A. WeeklyScott Foundas
The Hard Word’s greatest betrayal, however, is of its cast, of Pearce (hamming it up as the charismatic antihero) and Griffiths (as sexy as ever, but more or less abandoned by the movie midway through), who give it their all but get very little in return. Read full review
40
Wall Street JournalJoe Morgenstern
Like many dreams that enliven filmmakers' nights, this one derives from other, better films, though it does have a few clever twists.
30
Washington PostStephen Hunter
Put another movie on the barbie, mate; maybe it'll be better. Read full review
30
Washington PostDesson Thomson
Aside from the obviously Australian flavor to everything -- which can be entertaining at times -- there's no X factor to justify the whole exercise. Read full review
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