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Amazon.co.uk Review
Bleak as its South Central Los Angeles setting, Harsh Times is like a suicidal vortex swallowing men who ought to know better but can't stop their self-destruction. Christian Bale stars as Jim Davis, a stressed-out, former Army Ranger who becomes a very bad influence on his weak-willed buddy, Mike Alvarez (Freddy Rodriguez of Six Feet Under). Together the two meander through streets at night, getting drunk and stoned, finding trouble for its own sake and inviting danger as a ritual of machismo bonding. Mike's wife, Sylvia (Eva Longoria), a lawyer whom Mike, working as a telemarketer, put through school, is repelled by Jim and watches in pain as her spouse chooses a downward spiral over renewal and redemption with her. When Jim's application to join the L.A. police is turned down, he leads Mike into pure anarchy. An impractical change of fortune doesn't help any, and first-time director David Ayer, who wrote the screenplay for Harsh Times years before his script for Training Day, goes to some lengths, dramatically and visually, to convey Jim's unhinged condition. The dreariness of it all, and a sense that Bale has constructed--but not exactly lived in--another in his gallery of lost, misfit souls, makes it hard to connect with this film. Still, it is hard to turn away from these desperate and dangerous characters. --Tom Keogh
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
17 of 18 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Times are Harsh,
By that Mash guy (UK) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Harsh Times [DVD] (DVD)
I watched this a while back and find myself still thinking about it. Christian Bale delivers one of the best performances of the year.
The film is a rites of passage/coming of age movie, It tackles themes of corruption, love, loyalty, frindship and responsibility. Bale plays a former US Ranger back from a tour of duty in Afghanistan and with more than just a few screws loose, he's a changed man. We follow him and his best friend as they try to get jobs, do drugs, get drunk, and teeter on the edge of that precipice between being layabouts and responsible adults. There's plenty of laughs along the way but as the movie draws to a close the mood darkens and there is more than one scene in this that will have you wincing or just staring at the screen wide eyed. Bale's performance is just tremendous he is just a bundle of energy and you can't take your eyes off him because you never know what he will do next, his character is in turns funny, scary, crazy and ultimately tragic. The remainder of the cast, which includes Eva Longoria, are all good but can't help but be overshadowed by Bale. The movie is an indictment of our culture and how messed up our priorities are, the choices we make, the choices we are given. It was written by David Ayer, who wrote Training Day and he directed it as well. This is in some ways a similar movie. it tackles similar themes from a slightly more askew angle. It' a great movie, it has its slight faults but theres plenty to appreciate. If you like intelligent, adult fim making this is worth checking out.
20 of 23 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Spectacular,
By
This review is from: Harsh Times [DVD] (DVD)
I saw this film, not really knowing too much about it. Though I've always been a keen admirer of Bale, I thought this was going to be some kind of shoot em up action film, which would be good entertainment, but little more! I could not have been more wrong! Bale gives an incredible preformance, and he keeps you gripped throughout the entire film. Rodriguez was an unknown quantity to me, and I did not overly know what to expect from him, but he also delivers! The supporting cast do a great job as well! The film builds itself up so well, and you know right from the word go, that this film is heading to an amazing climax! It can be tough to watch, as it builds up a head of steam. But nonetheless, and incredible film!!
11 of 13 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
It worked for me,
By Jones the Film (Wales) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Harsh Times [DVD] (DVD)
Depressing, gritty saga of an Iraq veteran slowly imploding in the City of Angels, not due to war trauma, but because he's a psycho.
Good performances from the entire cast. Bale is outstanding. He provides an American persona that most British actors could only dream of recreating (apparently he has a canny skill for using different accents in all his films). A bleak image of LA (probably accurate) and some shocking scenes, but it works well on the second run.
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