Harsh Times
2006
Haunted by nightmares from his murderous military past, the honourably 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 .. Read more
| Starring | Christian Bale, Freddy Rodríguez, Eva Longoria, Adriana Millan |
|---|---|
| Director | David Ayer |
| Genres | Action/Adventure, Drama |
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Harsh Times
Haunted by nightmares from his murderous military past, the honourably 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. Meanwhile, Homeland Security 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-centre yarn, and Ayer captures that uneasy feeling of cruising through a bad part of town in a car with someone who you slowly realise 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.
| Starring | Christian Bale, Freddy Rodríguez, Eva Longoria, Adriana Millan, Tammy Trull |
|---|---|
| Director | David Ayer |
| Studio | PATHE DISTRIBUTION |
| Run time | DVD: 1 hr 40 mins |
| Certificate | |
| Genres | Action/Adventure, Drama |
| Language | English |
| Hearing-impaired | English |
| Released | DVD: 30 Apr 2007 Production year: 2006 |
| Format | DVD |
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Critics' reviews (4)
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The directorial debut of Training Day screenwriter David Ayer, this rage-fuelled powderkeg features yet another... read more on Time Out
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A compelling drama for those who like their films twisted, macho and dark
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Most helpful member's review
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44 out of 47 people found this review helpful
Wish I could give it four and a half!
Harsh Times is an excellent film. I went to see it mainly on the promise of Christian Bale and Freddy Rodriguez as plot information has been rather vague. During the first half an hour I was slightly unsure as, although very well acted, I did not think it was going to be possible to make me care about either of the characters. I was wrong! By the end I cared about both of them, despite their flaws which are displayed throughout the film. I think this shows the talent of both the actors and the director. The only thing that grated on me was the language used, especially by Bale, as it is very 'gangsta'! I realise that this was part of how the film worked, but it still got on my nerves and stopped it quite reaching 5 stars! Well worth watching, excellent all round.
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Most recent members' review
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1 out of 1 person found this review helpful
Brutal but engaging
For the first half an hour of this LA-set sociological crime flick (can't think of how else to describe it...), the dialogue seems phoney - Bale and Rodriguez seem cartoonish with their slang, looking a bit too healthy and clean cut to convince. The plot meanders, and almost feels like a buddy movie. Eventually things get going and the plot kicks in, revealing this to be quite a well put together study/snapshot of American war veterans (albeit perhaps quite Hollywood-ized) - Ayer's script is quite clever, and the film charts the mental breakdown Bale's character goes through, partly due to his inability to shake from his mind the horrors of war, that he suffered and inflicted.
The film ends on a high (in quality-terms, rather than on feel-good spirits...) - and looking back on it now, it does feel like a good movie. It does try too hard in places and feels quite self-conscious in parts (particularly with the dialogue), but a tight plot and satisfying (eventually) performances pull it altogether.
Writer-director David Ayer looks like he's determined to stray a little from the Hollywood path to find his stories, so hopefully his next (Street Kings) will be just as interesting... -
News and features
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Keanu to be Night Watchman
- 21 Feb 2007
Keanu Reeves - also known as Neo from the widely successful Matrix trilogy - is set to star in a new movie from crime writer James Ellroy, who penned last year's noir thriller The Black Dahlia. According to Variety, The Night Watchman will star Reeves as a disgraced cop who sets out to change his ways after discovering his department is awash with corruption. And David Ayer has signed on to direct, following his role as writer-director on last year's Harsh Times, which starred Christian Bale as Read more
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Haunted by nightmares from his murderous military past, the honourably discharged Jim (Christian Bale) spends his time between his impoverished fiancee in rural Mexico and cruising the streets of ... -