Harsh Times
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Movie Reviews of Harsh Times
Movie Review: great and amazing movie ... one of the greatest actors of his generation
Summary: 5 Stars
I would def say this is one of christian bales better movies .. im just bummed not many know about it .
His peformance is compelling !
Movie Review: BAD ASS
Summary: 5 Stars
kick ass movie, it's a shame it didnt do better- but none the less, it's more of a guy movie. Most chicks dont understand this. SadnessMovie Review: LOVE LOVE LOVE Christian Bale
Summary: 5 Stars
This man really knows how to pick a movie! He's amazing. Definitely thought-provoking. Can't miss!Movie Review: Overlooked. Worth the Watch.
Summary: 4 Stars
Jim is the type of guy that anyone may know. He served his time as a soldier and now it's his dream to become a cop in Los Angeles. The problem is not only does he spend most days drinking, smoking pot, and looking for ways to either get laid or kick the snot out of someone, but his time as a soldier gets to him more than he lets on. He has nightmares every night and usually wakes up screaming, has cold chills, and is just one step away from the brink of insanity. His best friend, Mike, just wants to get a job so he can make his wife happy, but his drinking problem gets him into more trouble than it should. Jim and Mike hang out all the time, so when one gets in trouble the other one has his back. While Mike has his wife, Sylvia, Jim has a girlfriend, Marta, back in Mexico who he hopes to get across the border once he gets that dream job. So when Jim gets a call from Homeland Security and Mike has an interview go really well at one of the best businesses in town, they think their lives are beginning to look up. But what'll happen when Jim finally gets pushed too far? Who will he take it out on and how many people will be caught in the crossfire?
This movie kind of plays out like some of my favorite songs. Things start off slow, but are slowly building towards a big finale. Once things start rolling, it's inevitable to try and resist the mayhem that's sure to ensue. That's a perfect way to describe Harsh Times. The film is generally about a subject I usually have no interest in, but the characters involved, the way events unfold, and the way Christian Bale portrays Jim Luther Davis kept me watching. Watching Jim and Mike basically flush their lives down the toilet by being the screw ups they are was enough to keep my attention, but the film's true gem, other than Christian Bale's performance(which I'll get to momentarily), is the last twenty minutes or so of the film.
Other than the ending, the film has one really surprising scene that caught me off guard. It's just so spontaneous and no one will see it coming. It's an interesting scene, as well. It puts what Jim went through as a soldier into perspective as what happens in said scene doesn't phase him at all, but Mike is practically traumatized in the process. It seems kind of unimportant at the time, but is one of the first scenes that comes to mind after the credits begin to roll.
Christian Bale never ceases to amaze me in the films he's a part of and he's done so yet again. It's interesting that he's had so many different accents amongst all the roles he's had and he's added another one to his repertoire. I guess the weirdest thing for me was watching him as Batman in Batman Begins and The Dark Knight and then watching this after that. Now I'm going to expect to hear Batman say something like, "Yeah, homie. That's how we roll in these streets, dawg," the next time I see either one of those films. It's just a transition I didn't expect him to make and so flawlessly. Bale's characterization is also shown in top form in this film, as well. The transformation he makes from beginning to end is incredible. The way the film is edited when Jim is going through one of his episodes is also a nice touch. You know that once the screen has that yellow tint to it that something big is about to go down.
Harsh Times is a crime, drama, thriller that is definitely worth the watch. While the film may not appeal to everyone, it probably has more to offer than anyone gives it credit for. Christian Bale doesn't disappoint as his characterization is as strong as ever this time around. If you're a Christian Bale fan, then there's no reason why you wouldn't enjoy this film. If not, then I still highly recommend it for the finale of the film alone. If you like films ending on an intense note, then you're sure not to go away empty handed. This seems like a film that tends to be overlooked by people that should definitely be giving it more praise than I've ever heard anyone give it. See this film.
Movie Review: Wasted lives
Summary: 4 Stars
Gritty doesn't begin to describe this somber, very dark vision of two close friends in Los Angeles. A warning right here: this movie is not for the faint of heart. I'm sure Los Angelenos would rather not have this image of its citizenry emblazoned on the minds of the movie-viewing public, but I'm beginning to get the impression that at least certain areas of that city are pretty dangerous places to visit.
Jim Davis (Christian Bale) returns from Iraq with a serious case of killing fever and a burning ambition to become a law enforcement officer. His childhood best friend Mike (Freddy Rodriguez), a likeable follower, doesn't realize that his friend, whom he obviously hero-worships, has gone over to the dark side; he is visibly troubled by early exhibitions of the change in Jim (road rage directed at a stranger after reading a turn-down letter from the LAPD) but apparently assumes it is a passing phase. Together the two buddies drift into a pattern of cruising the streets and reconnecting with questionable old contacts and smoking and drinking the day away. Mike is ostensibly out leaving resumes (he is out of work) and under pressure from his successful wife (Eva Longoria), who is a lawyer, to get a job. Jim is Mike's transportation; and Jim goes from highs to lows in his endeavours to become an officer. After his turn-down from the City, he indulges in a little sorry-for-himself pot-smoking with Mike; and the next day receives a call from Homeland Security to come in for a urine test. I'm not exactly sure what procedure he applies to circumvent the residual THC in his urine - it appeared to be painful - but whatever he does, he somehow passes the test and is called back by the Feds. They aren't exactly fooled by him, however; the leader of an elite force within Homeland Security is shopping for a character like Jim, who can kill with impunity and lack of remorse and is willing to bypass a few inconsequential points like pot-tainted pee. This is the opportunity Jim has been waiting for and he jumps at it.
There is a hitch, however; Jim has a sweetheart in Mexico whom he wants to marry, but the Feds convince him now is not the time. They sign him up to ship him out the next week, and he decides to have one last fling in Mexico, and take his buddy Mike and another good friend along for the ride.
From here a story that has been grim and heartless almost throughout sinks into despair. Jim suffers from flashbacks, which are aggravated by conflict; Mike, a basically sweet guy who at heart wants to straighten up and fly right chooses, against the will of his wife, to go to Mexico - right after he has won her approval of him by getting a great job; she argues with Jim about taking her husband on a fool's errand, and Mike misses the warning signs of Jim's flashpoint anger and decides to side with his buddy over his wife. In retrospect, he really should have stayed at home.
This is a sad, dark movie, aptly named. It's hard to work up any empathy for anyone in it, except possibly for Mike and his wife, who are struggling (and succeeding, on the part of the wife) to come out on the sunny side. Mike has been guilty of bad behaviour in the past, and is guilty of going along with Jim's schemes now, but with a finite point in view; ultimately he is reaching for respectability. Jim is like a man-eating tiger; he has gotten the taste of death in his mouth, and cannot escape the need for it.
For those who appreciate such violent, bloody films (there is a high body count here), it is well-acted, well-paced, and understandable. It certainly kept my attention. I certainly hope I never encounter characters like most of the ones in this film, but I'm not sorry I watched it.