The Hard Word

REVIEW
An edgy, hyperkinetic caper film may not exactly be the first genre you’d think of to come from Down Under. Writer-director Scott Roberts, however, is about to change all that with this gritty, surprisingly funny heist drama that combines the dark humor and adrenaline rush of a Guy Ritchie crime saga with the storytelling bravado of Quentin Tarantino. Back on his native soil and as mesmerizing as ever, Guy Pearce heads a first-rate ensemble as Dale, the eldest of the three Twentyman brothers, all of whom are just being released from prison as our story begins. Unfortunately for them, rehabilitation will just have to wait, as their crooked lawyer and equally bent police detective accomplices have an armored car robbery job in need of their expertise. Honor being what it is among thieves, it’s not long before more than one character is betrayed, and redemption and family honor lie in the impossible mission of stealing the Melbourne Cup! In his directorial debut, Roberts invests a degree of freshness and energy into a well-worn genre that would make a veteran director proud. His dialogue is inventive, his pacing crackles, and an oddly appealing gallery of characters – from a drag queen policeman to a dyslexic hit man – ensure that this pulp fiction isn’t the same old thing. Among the cast, Rachel Griffiths impresses as Dale’s trampy wife, and newcomer Damien Richardson commits grand larceny by stealing the show as Dale’s somewhat dimwitted younger brother.