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Harsh Times
3.5/5
R E V I E W   B Y   R I C H   C L I N E dir-scr David Ayer
with Christian Bale, Freddy Rodriguez, Eva Longoria, Chaka Forman, Tammy Trull, Terry Crews, JK Simmons, Emilio Rivera, Tania Verafield, Noel Gugliemi, Michael Monks, Craig Ricci Shaynak
release UK 18.Aug.06,
US 10.Nov.06
05/US 1h51

Wrong place, wrong time: Bale and Rodriguez

rodriguez longoria crews

Toronto Film Fest

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Harsh Times Training Day writer Ayer is back with another story about an unhinged cop. And while this film suffers from similar excesses, it also features startlingly strong performances.

Jim (Bale) is a haunted Gulf War veteran living in idyllic Mexican isolation with his girlfriend (Trull). He heads to Los Angeles for a job interview with the LAPD, collecting his childhood buddy Mike (Rodriguez), who's also looking for work. But they tear up the town instead, making one dumb decision after another involving drugs, guns and women. Even so, fortune smiles on them, and they take a road trip to Mexico to celebrate. Mike's wife (Longoria) is not happy. And their luck may be about to run out.

There's a sharp edge of attitude and humour in the script that keeps us riveted, especially since it's so brilliantly played by Bale, Rodriguez and the remarkably strong supporting cast. The male characters are all deeply unsympathetic, and the actors dive in completely, never hedging their characters or moralising about them (the plot takes care of that). Bale is especially good as the meathead Jim, who simply can't control his mercurial temper. Rodriguez and Longoria have fiery chemistry between them, and are both excellent in their edgy roles.

Where the film stumbles is in its predictably overwrought tone; Ayers seems to be trying far too hard to jolt us. When Jim has his episodes of psychotic scariness, it's a little too freaky for words, and as the situation gets increasingly precarious and violent, the film starts to feel interminable. Fortunately, the acting just gets more intriguing and enlightening, forcefully examining how life hangs on a knife-edge of difficult choices.

At the end we feel a little like we've been beaten senseless by an unsubtle filmmaker. Some of the dialog is rather clunky, as are references to big issues like corporate greed and governmental subterfuge. But it's an especially gripping experience--painful to watch dumb people do such stupid things and provocative to think about the real difficulty of choosing between our happiness and our career, between who we are and what we do.

cert 15 themes, strong language, violence, drugs 23.Jan.06

R E A D E R   R E V I E W S
send your review to Shadows... Harsh Times Tim Craig, NY city: 1/5 "This is without doubt the worst film I have ever seen. It is just so boring - imagine Kevin Costner and Sam Neil playing John Travolta and Samuel Jackson's parts in Pulp Fiction. Painfully unconvincing (Ronald Reagan playing Travis Bickle). The outrageously overhyped Christian Bale, still suffering from zomboidal walkaboutitis ever since Empire of the Sun, is out of his depth (as always) in a role which should never have been brought to the big screen. This film fits very nicely into the category of Rambo meeting the Fonz to discuss the possibility of making a sequel to The Deer Hunter by merging Boyz in the Hood with All Quiet on the Western Front! A silly little film indeed. Dude! Who still talks like the Beach Boys anyway? oh yeah, Cristian Bale does, I forgot, That figures." (20.Aug.06)

Brad Coggins, Cincinnati: 5/5 "If you like over-the-top neatly packaged Hollywooded up films then don't go see Harsh Times. This movie is unpredictable just like the rough streets of South Central LA. Christian Bale is absoulutely magnetic. This movie will grab hold of you and beat you down. The film is designed to be bleak and chaotic without a concise storyline. Bale deserves an Oscar for this role. As you follow the two main characters as they go about their day moving from one adrenaline rage to the next you keep looking for a story to develop. The characters themselves and their interaction with the mean streets of South Central becomes the story and it's like being on a rollercoaster. Very simple and very fun. Not complicated. Not neat and concise, but highly effective and entertaining." (18.Nov.06)

© 2006 by Rich Cline, Shadows on the Wall
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