>>REVIEW
HARSH TIMES
STARRING: Christian Bale, Freddy Rodriguez and Eva Longoria
DIRECTED BY: David Ayer
Opens Friday, November 10
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It’s glaringly obvious from the outset that Harsh Times is going to be a gritty movie with heaps of jarring violence and random acts of cruelty.
The opening sequences of war are more like a video game than reality, spawning the sense the lives being lost are no more important than blips on a monitor. But save for the few moments of clarity early on, Harsh Times gets lost in its own message and ceases being convincing.
Christian Bale as Jim Davis, a freshly discharged soldier with a lust for the seedy buffet of Los Angeles street life is skeevy and creepy. It’s difficult to understand why he would be able to gain the affections of his innocent and devoted Mexican girlfriend Marta (Tammy Trull) and his well-meaning best buddy, Mike (Freddy Rodriguez). Their friendship is implausible, even with all the "dude" this and "dawg" that, there doesn’t seem to be much chemistry between the two and Mike’s girlfriend Sylvia (Eva Longoria) is utterly intolerant and disgusted by Jim. There’s nothing that explans why these people would even know each other, and it’s frustrating. Marauding around the mean streets of Los Angeles instead of looking for work, the two men swill beer, smoke dope and generally thug out in the car all day. Eventually, an act of violence opens up a rift between the two, and the soldier reacts in amusement while the civilian reacts in terror.
Jim is clearly on the verge of a full-on meltdown for most of the movie, gleefully terrorizing everyone in his path. The message is clear – the very people charged with protecting the American people are trained to view human life as collateral damage and very often can’t tell the difference between a friend and an enemy. As Jim puts it, "I’m a soldier of the Apocalypse."
It’s scary to think the American government is manufacturing sociopaths and unleashing them back into society without regard for public safety. Indeed, it’s a sobering thought but it could have been better conveyed with solid character and plot development. Instead, we’re assaulted with an endless barrage of cliché slang that is unconvincing and contrived.
Harsh Times is also a long film, and at over two hours, could do with some liberal editing. Moreover, the script could use some serious tweaking. I know it’s set in L.A. and all, but dude, give it a rest. |
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