Wonderfully offbeat film!

everything you have heard about this movie is true.

The thing I enjoyed most about the film is the fact that it doesn't shy away from being a super-sized-cliche;

Exactly the movie you think it is, but not the movie you want it to be.

Um argumento razoável com uma grande interpretação de Bale.

I've read a short summary of what 'Harsh Times' is about here on IMDb and couple of reviews. After this I had got the feeling that it is going to be like the 'Training day' - how the things on the street are going on, inside look into the gangs etc. I love 'Training day' so I was really looking forward to seeing 'Harsh Times'.***********SPOILERS AHEAD************* Instead of it, I've seen a movie about selling a stolen gun and thinking about a new job. This already says, that there is no actual plot whatsoever. It's just about few days of some people in LA and Mexico.There is nothing much going on at the first hour (except of beginning which was really promising)! The two friends are trying to get high and laid, meeting their uninteresting friends, looking for problems here and there, doing this and that in order to find a new job etc. There are some good tense or funny moments but it is overall boring, it doesn't follow any story and every scene looks random.The film starts to be more interesting after the first hour, when Jim (Bale) gets a new job in Federal Task force in Colombia but then it drops again to the low level of the first hour. The last gripping moment is at the end when Jim gets crazy, gets shot and his friend Mike has to finish him (this scene was actually very good). It means the film has some opportunities - some good scenes - to get attractive, but never make use of them; 'Harsh Times' fails to build something watchable on these sequences, expanding them. Lost potential.***********END OF SPOILERS************* The main characters are difficult to like - as well as the others (Mike's wife, Mike's and Jim's friends ...). I couldn't feel any sympathy to any of them nor could I understand the motives of their actions. The dialog between Jim, Mike and their buddies is irritating, same every time, full of 'Man', 'Bro', 'Dawg', 'Homie...' crap and hand greetings. Problem is that it looks and sounds so forced in 'Harsh Times' and therefore quite unbelievable and embarrassingly. Conclusion: Overall uninteresting except some promising moments, full of missed opportunities, monotonous dialogs (wannabe gangsta), unlikeable characters, no plot = disappointment. And at the top of the things it is incomparable to 'Training Day' - can't figure out why people compare these two movies to each other. Training Day has a great plot, good action, surprising and tense development. Harsh Times lacks it all.

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.

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.