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

my favourire hollywood movie from last year is an ifernal indictment to the damage caused to the american psyche by an illicit and immoral war in iraq ,its the best comment to come out of usa on how the agressor damages itself more then the victim by a harsh deed, nevertheless the causes and consequences can both be fatalistic ,

yet it is a human drama with a big heart and so much brain its difficult for most people to swallow this bitter pill .its not just a factual depiction of downtown los angeles , its a hellish account of the nightmare southern california has turned to in these harsh times .

when you walk or ride into los angeles this is precisely what you see and experience ,nevertheless it is a fascinating city from the idyllic suburbs of malibu and the pasadena valley and getty museum to the hell of union station in downtown , and if youve been there multiple times like me you will understand this movie and its message very thoroughly

the story involves two unemployed lifelong buddies jim [bale]and mike alvarez ,who are desperately looking for jobs, jims just been discharged after doing a stint in army as a ranger in a foreign locale [iraq ] and is sufferring from post taumatic distress after having been made to do harrowing crimes against [presumably ]innocent civilians in that conflict , he keeps getting flashbacks of his experiences and is on the verge of psychosis , while mike is under pressure from his lawyer girlfriend ,who he supported through law school to get a job and get married to her , sylvia [eva langoria ].

the first hour is made up of their cruise in south los angeles in a half drunk ,stoned on weed , almost criminal delinquent mood in mikes car , they happen to aquire guns and drugs as easily as they are available in LA and one of the visits to jims exgirlfriends house to win her back goes horribly wrong with the arrival of her present boyfriend and his gang ,whom they manage to subdue as a team , giving you a flavour of LA s gangland culture , there are some light moments which make you laugh in this otherwise bleak movie .

jim is meanwhile rejected by LAPD [police dept ]where he has applied to get a job in the hope he can bring his mexican girlfriend over once hes employed [and can get a permit ], shes marta [tammy trull],his hopes are dashed by his failure and the two go on a wild spree which ends in a gruesome murder in a bar [a mans s throat split open with a broken beer bottle ], they manage to escape but are stopped by LAPD patrol car ,luckily the two officers turn out to be their old buddies and they are let off

its absolutely hilarious to see the cops letting two men stoned on weed with beer cans in their car and a gun go scotfree but it is the sharp reality of this gruesome city ,

mike meanwhile luckily lands a job while jim ends up being recruited by CIA OR FBI?,a federal agency ,despite failing the drugs test and polygragh too , its hilarious when he goes for the interview and hes trying to deceive the polygraph and the instructor tells him

if you try to clench your a.. one more time im throwing you out ,these tricks dont work on me

in his interview hes shown the photographs held in his army record of his previous murders [look like arabs to me ]and the general tells him
u went through them like they were butter with a knife and twenty of them jesus ive never seen anything like this before ,

these gruesome murders qualify him to get a job as a federal agent in colombia but hes told to get rid of his mexican b...., the general says youll find enough of them in colombia

jim is elated or disappointed ,its difficult to say but he accepts the job and decides to go to martas house for a party and last spree with mike and two other friends

the scenes in mexico are beautifully shot with jim claiming in a fascist way ,sitting by an idyllic lake side

man i wont even leave any chickens,pigs and dogs alive in those .... colombian villages

his last meeting with his girlfriend goes horribly wrong when she tells him shes pregnant with his child and he psychotically pulls out a gun and threatens to kill her for trying to have his kid , bale is electifying in this scene alone , he is a treat to watch , shes rescued by mike s timely arrival , but the journey to self destruction for jim has begun and already over by now , the damage done to his psyhe is unfortunately irreversible , i wonder how many of these schizoid ,psychollogically scarred men is USA shipping back every day from all over the world .

the rest of the movie leading to the tragic finale where he finally begs mike to shoot him dead after a gunfight in which he is paralysed neck down is just terrific .

the last 30 minutes are mind blowing stuff , i was stunned i had never heard of this movie before and saw it the first day in july last year as an accident in cineworld cinema in central london.

i dont know the hollywood politics but apparently it was relesaed in uk /europe before being shown at toronto FF , MGM obviously knew it was too harsh to show to a yankke audience reeling from the shock of iraq war ,
it was susequently the number one movie for weeks on londons criticcs list , but not very popular as it is very depressing and too realistic to stomach for some , but ive seen it 3 times and it grows on you like raging bull and once upon a time in america

the comparisons to both training day [by ayers ]and an american psycho are inevitable , but both bale and ayer have said this movie is a piece of their soul and its based on ayers personal experiences so its factual which i presumed it was ,even before i read their interviews

while bale has given his best performane yet in an author backed role rodriguez is low key but equally compelling as the weaker of the two buddies

the sequence where the bullet is shown to hit bales spine is one of the best shot action pieces ive ever seen on screen as is the rest of the cinematography , you feel you are taking a ride with the duo .

but its dave ayers who deserves the final accolade , whatever happens im expecting his next to be a masterpiece as is this and i have great respect and appreciation both for his writing and directorial skills , he has given america its most self crical analysis of their global and national character ever on screen

this makes lord of wars , syriana and farenheit 9/11 look tame

this is a harsh ride but if you are a serious movie buff like me and appreciate politacal , interracial and realistic well made dramas ,
then this is unmissable

Uncompromising movie, which could best be described as a mix of Training Day in it's cinematography & locales, and Fight Club in it's central themes. Anyone that enjoyed those two, should find something here. It's true that the characters are not all that likeable here, and at times it's about as easy to understand the chicano street talk, as it is the dialect in an Irvine Welsh novel! - BUT it's a movie that slowly draws you in and acclimatises you to it. Bale delivers a typically mega intense performance as an ex ranger drawn to the harsh under life of LA and inevitably heading for a bad end. Rodriguez is a bit annoying, in a John Leguizamo kind of manner, but works as a foil to Bale's character - not unlike the Washington/Hawke and Pitt/Norton relationships from the movies that I quoted at the start of my review. Eva Longoria is at least a great piece of eye candy, and I have to say that there are some particularly stunning Latino girls - this is welcome relief in a movie this bleak! There's a plethora of assorted street/gang type (probably authentic) characters that give the film an almost episodic feel. LA itself is almost a character in it's own right, and as in Training Day comes across as one step up from Hell.
There is a LOT of strong language and there are a couple of moments of EXTREME violence - one assault with a broken bottle to a man's neck is particularly graphic (think back to The Long Good Friday..) and it's a scene that the making of doc seems to be particularly obsessed with, paying great attention to how the disturbing make up FX were realised.
There's also some realistic gunplay that's not ott, but is short, sharp & brutal.
Overall, a decent movie that's not an easy watch mainly due to it's street style dialogue, but it's worth the perseverance.

This film is crazy.I admit while watching this film it did make me want to have a few beers and smoke a little dope lol i love watching this film with a hangover , the ending bit is well good

Former soldier Jim David (Bale) returns from Afghanistan hoping for a career with the LAPD. The only problem is that he is psychologically scarred by his brutal battlefield actions and the drink and drugs only further blur his perception of reality. Jim is dangerous because he can't distinguish between when killing is acceptable and when it isn't. As he waits for his job application to be processed Jim hangs out with buddy Mike (Rodriguez) whose lack of will power continues to disappoint his beautiful girlfriend Sylvia (Longoria) who realises Jim is a dangerous person to know. Together Jim and Mike cruise the streets of Los Angeles, drinking, getting high and causing trouble.

After the wonderful Training Day I was looking forward to Harsh Times, the directorial debut of TD writer David Ayer. The film is similar in that two men drive around the mean streets of LA all day and get into all kinds of scrapes involving drink, drugs and guns. Denzel Washington's powerful performance of the unhinged cop is replaced by Christian Bale's powerful performance of an unhinged ex-soldier whilst Freddy Rodriguez plays Ethan Hawke's more down to Earth low-key character. Where Training Day was blisteringly intense, Harsh Times tends to keep going off the boil with extended periods of not very much going on. Visits to Mexico and lengthy job interview sequences could have been shortened somewhat to keep fluidity.

That said, Bale turns in an excellent performance as the rage-filled trained killer and when his application to the LAPD is rejected you just know he's going to lose it. And lose it he does, gradually unwinding until the films dramatic finale. Harsh Times is a good, relevant drama especially in todays climate of overseas war and disillusioned youngsters. Sometimes the lingo can become a little irritating (every so often Bale begins talking like a latino gang banger) and the soundtrack isn't as effective as Training Day's but overall, this is a decent film supported by strong performances.

Like this? Try: Training Day

Love it or hate it, Harsh Times in my opinion is an awesome achievement. Bale is a fantastic actor and its great to see his adaptability to this role. The film delivers a dark, gritty and sometimes comic experience which at times is an assault on the senses. The storyline focuses on two friends who find themselves, as the title suggests, in 'Harsh Times'. Bale is a dysfunctional ex-marine trying to get into LAPD whilst Rodriguez is a bum looking for a job to stabilise his rocky relationship with Eva Longoria. Along the way the film takes many twists and turns which results in a rather sad ending.