Harsh Times

First off, let me start by saying that I have never been bothered to write a review on IMDb. Although a fan of the site, I skim read reviews, often not having the patience to read the long essays that over-excited people write. However, I feel it is my obligation to express my opinion on this movie because it is one of a short list of movies that has made an impact on me emotionally.

I honestly believe that Christian Bale's performance in this movie was truly outstanding. If Denzel Washington can be rewarded for best actor in Training Day then Bale deserves his just rewards for Harsh Times. His portrayal of Jim David, an ex-army ranger, is coated in layers of emotional complexity and psychological deterioration. His ability to transform from an honourable, courteous officer to a full blown psycho and then back to loving boyfriend and 'amigo' is truly terrifying.

Sharing much screen time with Bale is a relatively unknown Freddy Rodriquez. He seems to feed off Bale's character and forces the audience to feel sympathy for him as a childhood friend who can't abandon his crazy best friend. A cross between Benny Blanco (Carlito's Way) and Ethan Hawke's character in Training Day, Rodriquez shows his ability in mixing comedic moments up with emotional intensity and apathy. His friendship with Bale is so unpredictable that as an audience, you find yourself laughing with them at one moment and the next on the verge of tears.

David Ayer has created a dark, moody portrayal of South Central Los Angeles, very similar to that of Training Day. It's a bleak, bustling environment where the main characters encounter drug dealers, gang leaders, prostitutes etc. What I found interesting was the way Ayer introduced the beautiful barren Mexican landscape amongst the roughness of LA life. This was to show the personal crossroads Bale's character experiences. The choice whether to stay in Mexico and marry his girlfriend, or to satisfy his sadistic urge to kill and work for the drugs squad in Columbia.

It's frustrating that Harsh Times will not get the box office recognition it deserves. However, through word of mouth and DVD release, I am certain that this will become a sleeper classic, in the style of Shawshank Redemption. I feel that Christian Bale's performance is as mesmerising as De Niro's Travis Bickle in Taxi Driver or Edward Norton's character in American History X. His raw approach to the role makes for a startling but very rewarding experience.

Overall Verdict: A tour de force of a movie with fantastic performances, stylish direction and an after-taste which will stay with you for a very long time. Not since American History X has a movie affected me on such an emotional level. Christian Bale deserves more credit. Much more.....

9.5/10

Screenwriter David Ayer ("Training Day") debuts as director with this not uninteresting look at some troubled lives. The fact that the script is autobiographical does give it some impact, and overall the story is potent in the way that it chronicles one mans' downward spiral when it seems that fate is conspiring against him. The main character is based on men that Ayer knew, and while not all that sympathetic, he's a commanding presence, flaws and all. What helps a great deal is the acting by the talented Christian Bale (also one of the executive producers here), who's as incredible as ever completely immersing himself in a role. Well shot and fairly absorbing, the film doesn't have that much resonance when it's over but it would be hard not to feel *something*.

Bale plays Jim Davis, a former Army Ranger who was very efficient at brutally dispatching the enemy. When he returns stateside, he drifts back into a life of petty crime, pot smoking, and general aimlessness. He's not totally unambitious, though; he does have aspirations of joining the LAPD. There is a problem, however: he's mentally unbalanced, and tends towards being irresponsible. His best friend Mike (Freddy Rodriguez) isn't much better off, willingly going along with Jim on his escapes despite the fact that he's promised to find employment to help out his girlfriend Sylvia (Eva Longoria).

Bale is really the one that makes this a must-see, acting with his customary intensity and sense of commitment. Rodriguez is very good as well, offering a somewhat more rational- minded individual who runs into problems when he insists on being loyal to his friend. The cast of mostly unfamiliar faces does well; J.K. Simmons and Terry Crews are great as always in their small roles, and Tammy Trull is beautiful and appealing as the Mexican woman whom Jim intends to marry. Cinematographer Steve Mason gives this a very slick albeit fairly monochromatic look while Ayer mostly refrains from visual gimmicks until near the end. Graeme Revells' touching score is supplemented by an eclectic soundtrack.

Fans of urban crime dramas should find this to be pretty entertaining.

Seven out of 10.

Harsh Times is an intense film. Keeping you on the edge of finding out how crazy events can become seems to be a staple in the writing of David Ayer. He penned the script for the gritty cop drama Training Day and saw its star, Denzel Washington, win an Oscar for his portrayal of the conflicted beast at its core. With his new film, and directorial debut, Ayer has crafted another street drama about people who themselves don't know whether they are the good guys, the bad guys, or both. Don't be surprised if his work soon creates a second starring Academy Award, as Christian Bale is a powerhouse. The raw acting talents of this Brit are unfathomable and thankfully his rejuvenation of Batman has finally allowed those chops to be shown on screen in challenging roles for the masses.

Crossing between being the soldier/sir, yes sir type of man with the gangbanger of his past could be a difficult thing to believe for a viewer. Bale deftly changes personas as if he was flipping a switch. His ability to go from crazed lunatic to apologetic, tear-filled and beaten man is amazing to watch. Having a great up-and-coming actor to play off of is a plus as Freddy Rodriguez shines in much the same way Ethan Hawke did in Training Day—playing the straight man whose life is finally on the up and up before his love for a friend drags him back down. The rapport between them is believable and effective in showing us what could be. One of their friends, played nicely by Chaka Forman, gets it right when he says how Bale's Jim used to be so mellow. His fits of rage and confusion come upon him with no warning, showing us what war did to him. Being in the trenches created a man without a moral code, one who needs to not think, but just do. If one's capacity to kill was always there, he/she could probably live their lives being able to turn it off when needed. However, if you were not wired that way to begin with, the stark contrast could fry their mind into not knowing what it should do. Harsh Times shows us that fall into delusion and self-loathing to the point where thinking doesn't factor in at all, action becomes reflex and reflex becomes life. Unfortunately society is not of the shoot first variety like that of a warzone.

Ayer has done himself well with this directorial effort. He gets great performances throughout and in multiple languages. Even Eva Longoria was adequate and not a blemish on the film as I initially felt she might be. Ayer shows us all facets of his characters helping to enhance the story. We are privy to the past history of all involved and are allowed to understand each person's motives. Seeing the paradise that Bale has in Mexico adds immensely to the conflict going on inside of him as well. The performance by Tammy Trull is paramount to this fact and her undivided love for her broken man is beautifully expressed. This relationship makes his actions that much more powerfully unfathomable. We have monsters among us in this world and while they can be utilized as a necessity for the survival of our culture, hopefully when their jobs are done they can be helped to assimilate back into society without their ambivalence being able to hurt the ones they love.

I'm glad i haven't seen training day or i'd feel compelled to compare. This film feels real, and the director really makes you feel like you are actually IN the film, in the situation with the characters. You feel part of their lives and start feeling FOR them. Freddy Rodriguez plays a kinda good guy with a weak will and gets roped into anything Jim(Bale) gets him into. His relationship with Eva longoria is something people can identify with. Christian Bale is mind blowing from the moment the film begins (pun intended) he is very believable as Jim and is one crazy SOB in this film, he pulls off the dialogue, attitude and body language really well, You just couldn't tell he was a Brit, let alone welsh. his acting prowess is impeccable. Miles away from the Bruce Wayne he played recently.

All in all, its a good film, i won't give away the story, though its nothing extraordinary but it gives us the feel of how life is in crime ridden cities where people fight for survival every single day.

Christian Bale is an actor who is never orthodox. His string of films have in general been breaking moulds and testing his own ability, and more often than not you leave the cinema thinking that you had seen something special.

Having revived the Batman series and out-Lynched David Lynch in "The Machinist", he has now tackled the troubled life of a war veteran who is trying to find a job in order to be able to settle down so he can marry and bring over his wife from Mexico. Alongside him is his best friend who is also in the same situation of finding a job but this time in order to satisfy his frustrated working wife. As always nothing goes as easily to plan.

The two lead actors end up struggling through job rejections, life, gangs, drugs and drinks, and also the struggle to move on from their carefree lifestyle when they were young. Responsibility is a difficult option for the pair of them. The problem is exacerbated by Christian Bale's character's flashbacks and hauntings to the war, which add a frightening and unstable edge to his character.

The film overall takes us on an unpredictable journey following the two men questioning ourselves what we would do if we were in their shoes, and watching the pair of them acting and opting for what they do can be unsettling. Acting is great, direction is interesting and you will not be disappointed. If you like Crash, then in some ways this is in the same vein but not alike to the movie. I thoroughly was interested and enjoyed this movie, and if you want a thought-provoking film then this is definitely for you.