Harsh Times Review
Posted by Chad Webb on 11.21.2006
From American Psycho to military madman (My 100th Review!).
Christian Bale: Jim Davis
Freddy Rodriguez: Mike Alonzo
Eva Longoria: Sylvia
Chaka Forman: Toussant
Tammy Trull: Marta
J.K. Simmons: Agent Richards
Noel Gugliemi: Flaco
Directed By: David Ayer
Release Date: November 10, 2006
Running Time: 120 minutes
Rated R for strong violence, language and drug use.
It was only a matter of time before David Ayer helmed his own film. His numerous screenplays that boldly plunged into the world of law enforcement and other positions of authority have generated some truly gripping dramas (Training Day, Dark Blue). He has now taken a seat in the director’s chair, and to make his first time less strenuous, Ayer is joined by Christian Bale. Ayer's debut is a learning experience, yet he has proven to have natural talent. Harsh Times is a viscerally passionate picture that progresses comfortably down a straight road, but as the conclusion nears, that road forks, and unfortunately the wrong path is chosen.
Jim Davis (Christian Bale) is an ex-Army Ranger that is having recurring nightmares about the gruesome actions taken by him and his company during the Gulf War. Jim has girlfriend in Mexico, and wants to import her to America for marriage, but first he needs a job. Jim’s top choice is the LAPD, but he is rejected, and due to this news, the unstably disturbed side of Jim surfaces more frequently. Meanwhile, his best friend Mike (Freddy Rodriguez) is forced by his woman, Sylvia (Eva Longoria), to hand out copies of his resume, and also locate a job. With Jim on edge from the LAPD denial, he convinces Mike to cruise the streets, and put job hunting on the backburner. The two proceed with a string of gambles all over the city of Los Angeles. As time goes along, it becomes more evident that Jim is a ticking time bomb.
The Batman Begins stars hot streak is undeniable. Christian Bale has proven to be an extremely versatile actor, who seems to be everyone’s cup of tea lately. This is arguably his most complex role to date. His performance as Jim Davis can be divided into two sections. The first, which is comprised of the majority of this portrayal, is hypnotizing as Bale evokes a white knuckle intensity that is covered by a treacherously volatile personality. The remaining portion of Jim occurs when Bale attempts to be a thug, which is so hilariously over the top, it’s sad. At one time, Jim was a normal average joe with love in his heart and ambition in his veins, but those qualities are being increasingly controlled by his psychotic tendencies. Like Jim, Bale's is unpredictable in his display.
The real treat is Freddy Rodriguez. In his earlier days he was one of Mike Dexter’s pals in Can’t Hardly Wait, but following his successful run on Six Feet Under, he is now receiving more prominent roles. As Mike, he offers one if his strongest performances as a friend who just can’t say “no” to the overbearing Jim. The duo are marvelous as they march into a bar sporting wife beaters with matching girlfriend tattoo’s on their arms. Jim's mental hold over Mike always leaves his girlfriend Sylvia upset. I believe Chicago Sun Times critic Richard Roeper referred to Eva Longoria's contribution as a “nothing role.” He is absolutely correct, but in my opinion, it suits her wonderfully. The audience will see the actress, and not the popular Desperate Housewives star.
Some critics have attacked Harsh Times like a panther, and wasted no time in their comparisons to Taxi Driver by immediately declaring it superior. That goes without saying, and while impressions of Deniro and Taxi Driver are in the air, this film makes a stunning companion piece to Training Day for multiple reasons. The raw and gritty tone, depiction of urban violence, drug use, corruption, loyalty, and of course the fact that viewers are presented with two males, primarily driving in Los Angeles are palpable similarities. Writer/Director David Ayer has begun his filmmaking career with the profanity flying, guns waving, and the women aplenty to result in an overall commendable effort.
Harsh Times suffers mainly because of the ending. I would hate to give spoilers, so this is difficult to articulate, but I’ll just say the choices of a certain individual will cause an urge to slap that character vigorously in the face. The final sequences make sense, but a finer alternative could have, and should have been utilized.
Fanatics of Bale will likely have no trouble getting googly eyed and falling in love with Harsh Times. Both the plot and character development are brilliant, and the delineation of psychological breakdown due to the brutality of war is enthralling. The improvement of that final strecth would have worked wonders however. It is a stimulating and thought provoking character study that the most accomplished director’s strive for. This overlooked release has established its minimal buzz due to its appearance at Sundance, and while few have heard of it, the timing is quite ideal in many ways. To end this review, I must mention the several riotous one liners. Bale’s dialogue has most of them, but the funniest is uttered by a character with no name. As Jim takes a polygraph test, the examiner says this: “I've been doing Polygraph tests since before you were swimming in your father's balls. Now either you've got a tack in your shoe, or your clenching your butt.”
The 411: Harsh Times may very well be a future cult classic, and even though it is far from perfect, it is still deep, moving, humorous, and never boring. Christian Bale continues his run of interesting and exciting roles with no signs of slowing down. He and Freddy Rodriguez have excellent chemistry as they encounter one entertaining incident after another. Writer/Director David Ayer did not craft a debut that is comparable to Training Day or Boyz n the Hood, but he can only improve with his next project. He has a great deal of time to study. If you have the opportunity to see this in a theater near you, I would give it a try, instead of paying to see or rent some of the other crap around right now.
