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Harsh Times (DVD, 2006)
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I am completely miffed at people who have obviously not tried for a second to comprehend this film. They have only bitched about how immature Christian Bale's character is and how unsympathetic he appears to be. This is one of the best characters on screen I have seen in a long time, with an equally searing performance to go with it. Bale is our best working actor right now and is still not appreciated even with his growing popularity. The movie a thousand times more complicated than the visceral formula of 'Training Day.' I am supremely impressed with David Ayer's freshman effort at directing. A lot of soldiers are exactly like this outside of a military environment, which does not mean they are 'immature' or unsympathetic, they just have a high-key personality. Bale is infinitely complicated, and by the end you are absolutely heartbroken at what is character has endured and become at war and at home (assuming you have the vision to recognize this). I hope one day in retrospect this movie and Bale's performance get's its due.Read full review
Badass Shit... Rated: R [See Full Rating] for strong violence, language and drug use. Runtime: 1 hr 59 mins Genre: Action/Adventure Theatrical Release:Nov 10, 2006 Wide Box Office: $3,304,691 Synopsis: Haunted by nightmares from his murderous military past, the honorably discharged Jim (Christian Bale) spends his time between his impoverished fiancee in rural Mexico and cruising the streets of... Haunted by nightmares from his murderous military past, the honorably discharged Jim (Christian Bale) spends his time between his impoverished fiancee in rural Mexico and cruising the streets of east L.A., knocking back beers and smoking joints with his buddy Mike (Freddy Rodriguez). They also pawn a gun, run into some trouble with a jealous gangster, and fool Mike's girlfriend (Eva Longoria) into thinking he's actually dropping off resumes instead of getting drunk and high with his buddy. Homeland Security meanwhile wants to recruit Jim for some special ops in Central America, but first he has to pass a urine test. This is the directorial debut of David Ayer, who wrote TRAINING DAY, which this film resembles with its smog-saturated cinematography and loving attention to the minutiae of male bonding and "homey codes" in and around L.A.'s inner-city drug culture. One never knows where the story is going, or what's around the next corner in this off-center yarn, and Ayer captures that uneasy feeling of cruising through a bad part of town in a car with someone who you slowly realize cannot be trusted. Christian Bale delivers, as usual, a towering performance: growing progressively more disturbed as the film goes on, he weeps, roars, struts, shouts and flips out, maintaining audience sympathy all the while. [More] Starring: Christian Bale, Freddy Rodriguez, Tammy Trull, Adriana Millan Starring: Christian Bale, Freddy Rodriguez, Tammy Trull, Adriana Millan, Eva Longoria, Terry Crews, Noel Guglielmi, Emilio Rivera, Abel Soto, Sonia Iris Lozada, Craig Ricci Shaynak, Tania Verafield Director: David AyerRead full review
Christian Bale chalks up another bravado performance to his ever growing resume with Harsh Times, the directorial debut of David Ayer (writer of Training Day). No stranger to dark, brooding & sometimes ballistic characters (e.g. American Psycho, The Machinist, Batman Begins), Bale pulls off a wholly believable character in Harsh Times, who much like Denzel Washington in Training Day, is one that the audience can actually identify with. Set in South Central L.A., Jim (Bale) is a former mentally scarred Gulf War vet who after being rejected from joining the L.A.P.D. resorts to a life of crime (muggings, drug dealing/trafficking, etc.). His character's moral & emotional descent is fascinating yet tragic to watch as he cruises the massive sunbaked landscape of South Central Los Angeles. Harsh Times is further complemented by realistic street dialogue & the acting chops of Freddy Rodriguez (who plays Jim's best friend, Mike). Unpredictable, visceral & well worth viewing. 3.5 out of 5 stars.Read full review
I haven't been enthrolled in a movie in a long time, but I couldn't keep my eyes off the screen the entire movie. I literally felt like I needed to take a shower after watching this due to the grit and grimy feeling it left me with. Not in a bad way, but a way that leaves an impression on you and kind of follows you throughout your day. Intially I thought the characters were too over the top in their initial performances. This is probably due to knowing both actors in other films where they are nothing like these characters. Once you get into the movie everything flows well and the story unravels and you see the horrors unfold in front of you. Some of Freddy Rodriquez' expressions are so real that actually gave me the chills. Unbelieveable acting and great story line. The ending was well thought out and left you with that uneasy feeling. Highly recommended movie.Read full review
Great performance by Christian Bale here. One of his best, IMO. Bale plays "Jim" a recently returned soldier from the war in Afghanistan, back to his ghetto home & street life. He tries to get employed by state law enforcement & has issues from the start, originating from his destructive behavior that stem from his PTSD (what he's seen & done in the military in the war overseas against terrorism), and because drugs & booze continue to be a problem for this man. Things just don't go his way and his solution for them all is more booze, more drugs, and more destructive behavior- ending up with gangs/drug deals, and a very self-destructive nature that affects everything he cares about. It's not quite as powerful or as wide-scope as Scarface, but this tragic character story is emotional and gritty nonetheless. Special features are slim here- bare bones stuff. For fans of other crime drama films like Training Day, Street Kings, Narc, Falling Down, Gran Torino, Harry Brown, Taxi Driver or Collateral.Read full review
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