| Harsh Times | 
 enlarge | Director: David Ayer
Actors: Christian Bale, Freddy Rodriguez, Eva Longoria, Chaka Forman, Tammy Trull
Studio: Weinstein Company
Category: DVD
List Price: $14.95
Buy New: $3.77
You Save: $11.18 (75%)
New (51) Used (49) from $2.96
Avg. Customer Rating:  64 reviews
Sales Rank: 16509
Format: Closed-captioned, Color, Widescreen, Ntsc
Languages: English (Original Language), Spanish (Original Language)
Rating: R (Restricted)
Number Of Items: 1
Running Time: 116
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1
Dimensions (in): 7.1 x 5.4 x 0.6
MPN: GEPD79955D
UPC: 796019799553
EAN: 0796019799553
ASIN: B000KX0IM2
Theatrical Release Date: November 10, 2006
Release Date: March 13, 2007
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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Product Description
Studio: Genius Products Inc Release Date: 02/05/2008 Rating: R
Amazon.com
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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| Customer Reviews: Read 59 more reviews...
 Mj's review November 10, 2008
0 out of 1 found this review helpful
This site is great and the prices for the items are awesome. Delivery time is also on time and is here with in a week. I had no problems Amazon.
Mike
 A study in self-destructive behavior September 15, 2008
Christian Bale (Jim Davis) is really psychotic in this movie. And he takes Freddy Rodriguez (Mike Alonzo) on this ride of deception, rip-offs, lies, self-indulgence and violence. Just when you think he's changing his ways, Davis sinks deeper into a morass that leads he and Mike to places and circumstances out of their control. Eva Longoria is the long-suffering Sylvia, Rodiguez's girlfriend who must put up with Mike and Jim's sick antics (mostly unbeknownst to her). The end wasn't shocking, but well expected, seeing the deadly path Bale was taking as the movie progressed. Bleak and pathetic existence of two friends, seemingly going nowhere but down.
we all have some part of Jim inside ourselves September 12, 2008
I am a fan of Christian Bale. I would say this character impressed me much more than his roles in American Psycho, Equilibrium, The Prestige, etc. But this is not a movie for everyone, just like Bale's some other movies. If you have never been haunted by the nightmares of past unpleasant experiences, or have never gone through the struggles of trying to regain a decent life while the die-hard old habits constantly drag you back into the dark...you probably would not like this movie. This film touched my heart. Not only I can relate with the character, but it showed me how complicated and pathetic human beings are to such extent. Honestly speaking, we all have some part of Jim inside ourselves, only in much more subtle ways...if we dare to watch closely.
Spellbinding performances, a chilling concept September 11, 2008
Jim is a veteran from Afghanistan, whose application to the LAPD is turned down. Mike, his friend, is also searching for a job, but choosing instead to party it up with Jim. But the attrocities Jim saw (and committed) in the war begin to wear on him, encouraging the violent side that lay dormant until then, and he slowly drags Mike down with him, spiraling to a breakdown that could shatter their friendship...if they survive it.
I wasn't sure what to expect from "Harsh Times." I've become quite a fan of Christian Bale lately; and I loved Freddy Rodriguez in "Planet Terror," and thought he would be a great dramatic actor (little did I know, he has a lot of experience in the field; my bad homey, as Mike would say). But I wasn't sure about the concept, if it could hold my attention the entire two hours of the film.
Well, it did, largely thanks to two great performances from the leads. True, Bale doesn't flesh out this role as well as he has others, but he's still one of the best out there. Rodriguez matches him step-for-step, creating one of the best dramatic pairings I've seen in quite some time. Eva Longoria and Tammy Trull, as the love interests on the two men, shine in their brief--yet important--performances. J.K. Simmons offers some nice levity as a Homeland Security agent; it's one of the few light-hearted moments in the film, and even then there's something simmering underneath--when Simmons mutters to Bale "We're all a little wacko here," a momentary chill runs down your spine.
The script--by director David Ayer--is fairly good, especially in the film's second half; it's first half feels like Street Lingo 101, full of "dudes" and "homeys" and the like. It's also a bit strange, seeing the Welsh Bale acting like an American soldier who wants to be an Hispanic gangbanger; Bale's Spanish is spoken low and rapidly, probably so we don't pick up on the accent. Still, those are just minor flaws; once the movie pulls you in--as it will--you'll be on the edge of your seat, moved by tragedy (there's little redemption here, sorry) these two men face as their friendship slowly unravels. "Harsh Times" is a gripping, churning drama of the highest caliber. No pun intended.
 Very disappointing September 6, 2008
1 out of 2 found this review helpful
I kept waiting for some redeeming moment in this movie, but alas, it was not to be. Maybe the worst purchase I have ever made.
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