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Ex-Army Ranger Jim Davis (Christian Bale) hasn't been able to get his life back on track since he came home from the Gulf War. Plagued by nightmares and unwilling to take a desk job, he burned through all his savings waiting around for an offer from the L.A.P.D. that never panned out. He tells himself that if he only had a job, everything would turn around - he could marry his devoted Mexican girlfriend, Marta, and bring her back to the States to settle down. But in the meantime, he's just killing time with his friend Mike (Freddy Rodriguez), who's also unemployed. Mike's high-powered girlfriend, Sylvia (Eva Longoria), is sick of hearing his excuses, so Jim offers to help Mike find a job; instead they just end up driving the streets of South Central looking for trouble. They drop in on Jim's ex-girlfriend, pick a fight with her boyfriend who's in a gang, and, in a matter of hours, unwittingly sew the seeds of their own destruction. (Pathé Distribution UK)

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Reviews (8)

lamps 

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English The story itself isn't great, and Ayer's direction isn't exactly bursting with ideas and character, but the film has one huge plus that elevates it from the grey of mediocrity, and that’s Christian Bale, of course. Something evil and mysterious lurks in his eyes, which from the very first moments will unsettle you and help you immerse in the otherwise bland plot. And Ayer manages to dose all that evil in the span of 110 minutes in such a way as to make everyone sit on their asses and watch. If you don't expect anything groundbreaking, harsh or deep in thought, you'll have a great time. ()

Kaka 

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English Too shallow. Over time, the constantly pissed off and off the rails expression of Christian Bale will start to irritate you just like his problems in the film – he starts and doesn't even really know why. Harsh Times is indeed intense, but it has nothing to offer in terms of plot. The overwhelming majority of things are there for effect and it doesn't get under your skin. That is, assuming you have seen a thing or two and a high concentration of fucks and the raw feeling of a big city's periphery are not something that would impress you. ()

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kaylin 

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English Christian Bale has been proving from the beginning that he is a character actor and that he fully immerses himself into his role. In this case, it means that we are watching a truly unpleasant person who will irritate you from the start, and you will hope that things will end badly for him. And you don't care that his behavior may be partially due to the war. He is a jerk. No, this simply isn't a film that I could like. Characters that are impossible to identify with. I like that the film goes its own way, but I couldn't find my way to it. Even the story itself isn't particularly interesting. ()

DaViD´82 

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English I haven’t seen such a good move about nothing for a long time. Christian Bale’s Jim Davis is the best played, most unpleasant character of the past few years. He could probably manage to pull off a three-hour gaze into the mirror with style. His interpretation of the mental sale of this unstable, dumb, aggressive brute is an unforgettable experience. I believe there are countless people like that around. I have the misfortune to know one myself. Just a shame that the role played in this movie by my favorite, Freddy Rodriguez, didn’t suit him one little bit. Also the movie could easily have been a little shorter. But thank god for Bale - his incredible skill moved the entire movie along wonderfully... ()

Isherwood 

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English Ayer's attempt to be rough, impactful, and vulgar at all costs perhaps works initially. Then Bale’s style, however perfectly acted, in which he tries to emulate the style of Mexican gangsters, becomes significantly irritating. The problem stems from the director/writer, whose mix of street gangster and personal testimony of a war-scarred veteran shatters into an obnoxiously chatty and overwrought routine. Hands off this one, you'll have much more fun playing "GTA: San Andreas." It’s on the same level in terms of ideas and yet you'll be in the thick of it at will, not for an annoying two hours. ()

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