Dir. David Ayer, US, 2005, 119 mins
Cast: Christian Bale, Freddy Rodriguez, Tammy Trull, Adriana Millan, Armando Cantina, Lora Chio, Terry Crews, Robert Dahey
Review by Martyn Bamber
Harsh Times is a film that lives up to its title, being an intense and unsettling portrait of a violent, unstable man. Jim Davis (Christian Bale, in a charismatic but unsettling performance) is an ex-soldier who drives around the streets of Los Angeles with his best buddy, Mike Alvarez (Freddy Rodriguez), with both men supposedly trying to find jobs. But instead of looking for work, Jim just wants to hang out, drink some booze, smoke some dope and get laid.
When an opportunity for Jim to work for the Los Angeles Police Department is blocked, he becomes increasingly bitter, frustrated and dangerous. Later, when Jim and Mike come into the possession of a gun that they intend to sell, the sense of unease and danger increases. Everything around Jim is seen as fun and games (at one point, even a loaded gun is waved around like a toy) until Jim’s friends realise just how unhinged he really is, and how much a danger he is to himself and others.
Harsh Times starts with a surreal night time war situation, with Jim casually lighting a cigarette as carnage and chaos erupts around him. This opening scene turns out to be Jim’s frenzied dream, and we see him wake up from his nightmare in Mexico and join his girlfriend, Marta (Tammy Trull). Initially, it seems like Jim is a tender man; a traumatised soldier who wants to settle down with Marta, bring her to America and marry her. At this stage, Jim gains a measure of our sympathy, despite the fact that we sense he committed heinous acts as a soldier.
However, when Jim hooks up Mike in Los Angeles and Marta is not around, we see some unpleasant aspects of male behaviour (arrogance, aggression, sexism) given free reign. Although Bale is compelling to watch, he also makes Jim a repellent and unnerving creation. In some ways, Jim is almost a caricature of unrestrained masculinity, with his overwrought tough guy swagger and street talk. But things get increasingly more disturbing when we discover that Jim has a blasé attitude towards killing.
Harsh Times is similar to Training Day (2001) – which was also scripted by David Ayer, with Harsh Times being his directorial debut – inasmuch as it features two guys driving around LA in a car, with a young man who is trying to settle down becoming enthralled by a charismatic but dangerous individual. While Jim is the loner and the loose cannon, Mike feels the tug of responsibility and the lure of the domestic lifestyle with his girlfriend, Sylvia (Eva Longoria).
Harsh Times seems to push further into more unsettling territory than Training Day did. There is less of the Jimmy Cagney-like White Heat (1949), ‘top of the world’ defiance that Denzel Washington bought to his portrayal of a charismatic but corrupt cop in Training Day. Jim may be charismatic too, but he’s also deeply disturbed and unapologetically obnoxious for much of the film, and we fear that the more level-headed Mike could be corrupted by his unbalanced friend. When we see how Jim behaves, and how his behaviour affects Mike, Harsh Times offers up an ugly, unvarnished look at the more troubling and unpleasant aspects of male behaviour.
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