Harsh Times Review

"Harsh Times" reviews

Movie

Harsh Times

Author

anonymous

Date reviewed

2007-03-01 23:13:59

Rating

2/5

Provider

CinemaSource

Review

If Harsh Times didn't have the intense Christian Bale, we would have been far more harsh on it.

Story

Jim Davis (Bale) is an Afghanistan War veteran who still dreams of night vision combat. He seems to find comfort in his Mexican girlfriend, but he goes back to L.A. to hang with his "homie," Mike (Freddy Rodriguez). Mike in turn is married to the lovely Sylvia (Eva Longoria), a successful lawyer who wants her man to find a purpose in life, too--or at least a paycheck. Jim thinks the easy ticket will be a law enforcement job, so he can take care of both of them, but he's rejected. So the duo hit their old haunts, stealing drugs, getting high and faking phone calls from prospective employers. But they've got to do a quick come down after Jim gets a call from the Department of Homeland Security. The fact he's already smoked up will not bode well for the urine test. Still, Jim finds a way to slip through, because this job is more than a power trip for Jim. It could allow him to bring his girlfriend to the U.S. and marry her. Nothing goes exactly as planned, though. Mike must choose between his dangerous friend and his loving, stable girl, while Jim must survive his past to have any chance at a future.

Acting

If Christian Bale is starring in an indie, you know he going to be at least slightly psycho--American Psycho, The Machinist, to name a few. Few could make Jim as realistic as he does. Denzel Washington successfully does a charismatic street tough in Training Day, but the British Bale has the manner and language down. When he says homie and other less printable slang, it sounds like he knows how to use it, carrying himself like the pompous gangsta. He's scary, seems unstoppable and you actually may want him to meet his end. Rodriguez plays Mike like a naïve man-child, going along with his buddy despite evidence that it's not in his best interest. It's the less showy part so it's hard to compare, but you always believe him in the role. Longoria has a truly thankless part, the totally normal one in a crazy world. The audience will relate and side with her, but the actress has no chance to show any crazy quirks. All the time, her Sylvia is so much classier, you wonder what the attraction ever was to Mike. Some supporting actors also stand out. J.K. Simmons does his authority thing as the Homeland Security recruiter, while Terry Crews is the most dimensional drug dealer seen in a while. He'll do crime, but he admonishes the boys to respect their ladies.

Direction

Everyone will call Harsh Times gritty, but what does that mean? Is it because of the language and violence? That's a no-brainer in a crime story. Is it because the film is all grainy? That makes it look like a home movie, but it doesn't make "Baby's First Bath" gritty. Is it because it's dimly lit? That's just hard to see, not gritty. Harsh Times is all those things, but the problem is, who wants to watch this? Director David Ayer does create a believable world of street life, but the plot ambles on. Two unredeemable guys get into trouble. They toke up but aren't funny about it. They fight and shoot people but for no reason. They amuse each other but their exploits are hardly cinematic. It's actually not all that entertaining of a world to visit, but it achieves the discomfort an audience would feel, like driving through the streets with their windows rolled up. Maybe that's the moral of the story, but honestly, we don't need a two-hour lecture; we already know.

Bottom Line

Hollywood.com rated this film 2 stars.

Movie

Harsh Times

Author

anonymous

Date reviewed

2006-08-17 00:00:00

Provider

MyMovies

Review

He may have proved he can play the hero, having superbly bought the Dark Knight back to the screen in "Batman Begins". But this gritty LA drama sees Christian Bale bringing a much more unlikable persona to life. And that persona is Jim Davis, a former US Ranger who is trying to score a job with the LAPD after coming back from the Gulf War. But until that happens he's happy to kick back and hang out with his childhood friend Mike (Freddy Rodriguez) on the South Central LA streets they grew up on. But a pair of old friends can get into all kinds of trouble in just a couple of days, especially when one is still experiencing flashbacks to life in the desert…

Having previously proved that he can play the slightly unbalanced in movies such as "American Psycho" and "The Machinist", Bale certainly isn't afraid to let go here as Jim's trauma starts to get the better of him as Mike begins to notice the cracks in his friend's psyche. Mike's girlfriend (Eva Longoria) already knows that Jim is a bad influence and it's not long before her other half starts to suspect the same.

Unashamedly violent and one of the most sweary movies in ages, first time director Davis Ayers (he previously wrote "Training Day") is obviously in familiar territory here but it's a territory he brings to live with vigour and swagger. However he does, as with "Training Day", rely on a co-incidence for a major plot twist and the final chapter does feel a touch forced. Still fans of urban dramas - and anyone who likes Bale's forays to the dark side - should find plenty to get their teeth into.

Movie

Harsh Times

Author

anonymous

Date reviewed

2006-08-11 15:00:31

Provider

MRIB

Review

Christian Bale and Freddy Rodriguez (Six Feet Under's Federico) are two unemployed longtime friends who cruise LA’s streets on the pretext of looking for work. Actually, they go drinking, ripping people off and generally wasting their lives away. It's a brutal look at the troubled and disenfranchised for the writer of Training Day's directing debut.

Jim (Bale) is a Gulf War veteran hoping to join the LAPD, but he can't shake off the nightmares of his desert experiences and the job offer never materialises. So he and best friend Mike hookup each day to drop off Mike's CVs at prospective employers.

Jim's disturbed, disruptive and destructive nature permeates daily life more and more as he visits ex-girlfriends, villains and generally threatens and insults anyone they come into contact with. Marta, his poor but devoted girlfriend seems his only attachment to sense, reality and peace. An interview with Homeland Security presents him with a chance of a future, but at a cost.

Meanwhile, Mike meets an old school-friend offering him the chance of full time, well-paid work and a way to win back the respect of his girlfriend, Sylvia, played by Desperate Housewives' Eva Longoria.

There is plenty of evidence of Bale's outstandingly committed acting skills, and accompanied by rising-star Rodriguez they are a believable, if deeply dislikable, pair of dead-enders.

It's a deeply bleak and realistic story that could almost be described as surreal. David Ayer wrote Harsh Times ten years ago as a coming of age drama based on his own experiences of LA, and his portrayal of Jim and Mike makes it hard to feel sympathy or affinity with either of them.

Strong direction, editing and a colour soaked screen further illustrate the intense anger and heat of LA, contrasting with the temperate mood of the Mexican countryside, where Marta lives.

Despite the predictable ending and tremulous journey to reach it, this film is well worthwhile thanks to the strong cast of characters littering this acerbic experience.

Harsh Times Review