Harsh Times

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. (26/02/2014)

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... (19/02/2008)

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. (09/10/2014)

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. (03/02/2013)

Harsh Times has a huge advantage in its main character, who has such potential that it is a pity that an eight-part series did not come into being, which would further develop the story of the main character and his twisted motivation and fulfill the genre's possibilities. The problem is that the viewer is enticed by interesting characters and feels that a great crime drama is unfolding, only to find out that instead of a suspenseful crime story, they are watching a psychological drama with an ambiguous and unfinished ending. In this case, the main character's journey toward self-destruction is more important than the point and plot. Armed forces, from the police to the army and various private security services, will try to convince you of the perfection of their methods of recruiting new members and that failures are rare. However, here you can see the completely believable rise of a unique psychopath and his successful infiltration into the police force. Jim Davis is a completely realistic villain, whose motivations and actions you tend to believe in, especially when played by the professional Christian Bale. Overall impression: 75%. (16/07/2012)