tomosp1965 I was really looking forward to watching this movie. I took the phone off the hook, dimmed the lights, had tasty treats and drinks close by and resolved myself to watch it in its entirety without any pauses. The thing is, I expected too much and got bored after thirty minutes of action-less tedium. Bales character 'Jim' is all snore instead of roar and reminded me of a small dog that never stops yapping, but of course is pretty harmless. The best acting is from Freddy Rodriguez 'Mike', who plays the subservient patsy to Bales' dominating and psychopathic war vet character. The terms' Yo Hommie' and 'Fuck Yeah' is comically overused and Bale is the one who looks miscast! This movie would have been better if more action had gone into the storyline, as it gets bogged down in domestic situations too often.Its far from Bales' best film and only deserves a five out of ten.

Theo Robertson I might have been able to relate to this . A man tries to get a job and finds himself in all sorts of shenanigans. A simple enough idea but one that never really extends beyond that and you're reminded of earlier and later movies such as TAXI DRIVER and that one of Denzil Washington playing a bent cop . In fact the whole structure of HARSH TIMES resembles the one of TRAINING DAY as the two protagonists roll criminals and get up to all kinds of naughtiness Christian Bale made something of a career out of playing scary nutters and here he is at it again . For a man born in the Welsh valleys he is relatively impressive in these type of roles but the problem I've always had with Bale is that he never seems to communicate a sense of empathy to this audience members . In short his characters are unlikable and I have to say I did find HARSH TIMES very much an unlikable movie

Floated2 Harsh Times tells the story of a former Ex-Ranger Jim (Christian Bale) who conducts himself back to the city of Los Angeles trying to survive and make a living along with his good friend Mike (Freddy Rodriguez). The pairing between Bale and Rodriguez is genuine and is what makes this film great. What I enjoyed about the film is the vibe to it and it's realism. Bale's character is a depressed individual suffering from disorders and he portrays it brilliantly. A lot of the criticism is due to the dialoque with the constant use of the words "dude, bro, dawg, homie" and more slang of that nature, it can get annoying as it is used a ton it the films first half hour (also throughout), however it represents the realness that Bale and Rodriguez share. Also includes a lot of cursing.Some shocking moments occur in the film where you wouldn't have expected that to happen. There are some brutal violence towards the latter end of the film. What I did not like is that the films climax did not get as high as I have thought. There could have been a few twists along the way. However the ending will either make you feel depressed in anger and shocked or thrilled. Overall Harsh Times is an unpredictable gripping drama between two close friends on a journey.

dushyant chaturvedi Jim(Christian Bale in a powerhouse performance) is an ex-ranger who wants to make a career in the local law enforcement. He has a friend,Mike(Rodriguez), who is also on the lookout for a job. Mike is married to a lawyer Sylvia(Eva Langoria) who is getting tired of supporting him and wants him to cooperate. The movie follows the two friends as they go boozing,do drugs and do petty crime. Directed by David Ayer,the man who gave End of Watch, this is another realistic movie with dialogues that ring true and great guy talk, laced with expletives. However, unlike End of Watch, this doesn't tug you emotionally. The story is somewhat clichéd but this is saved from disaster with outstanding performance from Bale who is terrific as the barely-on-the-edge ex soldier who you definitely don't want to screw around with. He is ably assisted by Rodriguez and they both together get along like a house on fire. watch it for the performance. 3 out of 5.