New York Times
"...Amusingly gamy....It enjoys the asset of a grimy, slightly mildewy atmosphere....It also offers a few tart rip-off scenes and a performance of back-alley bravura by Guy Pearce in the lead..." 06/13/2003 p.E15Box Office
"...With actors as commanding as the extraordinary Guy Pearce and Rachel Griffiths leading the cast, this Australian import's emphasis on strong, affectionately drawn characters gives it an emotional pull rare for the genre..." 07/01/2003 p.43 USA Today
"...THE HARD WORD finds something new in the prison and heist genres....Writer/director Scott Roberts spices the mix by tossing in two extraordinarily compelling women..." 06/20/2003 p.5E Los Angeles Times
"...THE HARD WORD interests us in ways we don't expect. It has a mordant sense of humor and gift for character and incident that has attracted two of Australia's best actors -- Guy Pearce and Rachel Griffiths..." 06/20/2003 p.C10 Total Film
"[The film] stands out thanks to Guy Pearce's presence." 04/01/2004 p.122 Sight and Sound
"Roberts' macho heist thriller is strikingly shot..." 09/01/2004 p.96 Uncut
"Pearce and Griffiths are in top hear....Bitter, tough and funny." 09/01/2004 p.135 San Francisco Examiner 8 of 10
With three characters who know each other very well, most of their communication may go unspoken, and hence it becomes more interesting for the viewer. In one scene, the three sit down to a meal before their next job. They each order different, specific things and Shane makes a big deal about the shape of his fries and the whole Coke vs. Pepsi thing. Dale and Mal laugh to themselves and we know this kind of thing has gone on forever. We feel we know them without being overtly introduced to them. - Jeffrey M. Anderson
Chicago Sun-Times 6 of 10
The Hard Word feels like it should be more or less over after the Melbourne Cup heist, but it's barely getting started, as writer-director Scott Roberts supplies twists and double-crosses and startling developments and surprise revelations and unexpected appearances and disappearances, until finally we give up. 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. - Roger Ebert
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