the way Jim and Mike would speak. Also, Jim is supposed to be 26 but looks a lot older. I was so impressed and can't wait for the DVD, although I won't be surprised the second time round. I recommend Harsh Times very highly; it is emotional, violent, realistic, hilarious, thought provoking, traumatic, inspired, entertaining, gripping, original and shocking.

tends to spoil the movie and any suspense of disbelief.I've seen a lot of Christian Bale movies, and even so, I forgot that it was Christian Bale throughout most of the entire movie. That is an incredibly impressive thing indeed.The movie may not get an Oscar, but it is done superbly well, and Christian Bale is quite possibly the next Anthony Hopkins.

of the reviewers criticizing the portrayal of LA are from other cities. They also seem to overdo their use of MS Word thesaurus. I'm actually angry at what I've read there and to me it's no surprise now that the likes of Titanic and Chicago win Oscars in America.The fact that these same critics gave Casino Royale an OK action film with ridiculous dialog, coincidences and the strangest game of poker I have seen - a bad copy of a Jason Bourne movie a 9.5 and complain that this film unrealistic is ignorant. Critics are paid to point out the flaws in movies which Bond films have in abundance but get away with it because they're "just" Bond films. To compare it to Taxi Driver or Training day is insulting. To give it a bad review is a step backwards in film art.Reading between the lines I am led to believe that the modern day critic is pretentious and out of touch with reality. They don't know how the average to below average earning person thinks. Some seem to be driven by the desire to maintain friendships with certain Hollywood personalities. Does anyone know a critic that agrees with this and thinks like almost everyone I know. Anyone know when the DVD goes on sale by the way?

Times. His portrayal of Jim David, an ex-army ranger, is coated in layers of emotional complexity and psychological deterioration. His ability to transform from an honourable, courteous officer to a full blown psycho and then back to loving boyfriend and 'amigo' is truly terrifying. Sharing much screen time with Bale is a relatively unknown Freddy Rodriquez. He seems to feed off Bale's character and forces the audience to feel sympathy for him as a childhood friend who can't abandon his crazy best friend. A cross between Benny Blanco Carlito's Way and Ethan Hawke's character in Training Day, Rodriquez shows his ability in mixing comedic moments up with emotional intensity and apathy. His friendship with Bale is so unpredictable that as an audience, you find yourself laughing with them at one moment and the next on the verge of tears. David Ayer has created a dark, moody portrayal of South Central Los Angeles, very similar to that of Training Day. It's a bleak, bustling environment where the main characters encounter drug dealers, gang leaders, prostitutes etc. What I found interesting was the way Ayer introduced the beautiful barren Mexican landscape amongst the roughness of LA life. This was to show the personal crossroads Bale's character experiences. The choice whether to stay in Mexico and marry his girlfriend, or to satisfy his sadistic urge to kill and work for the drugs squad in Columbia.It's frustrating that Harsh Times will not get the box office recognition it deserves. However, through word of mouth and DVD release, I am certain that this will become a sleeper classic, in the style of Shawshank Redemption. I feel that Christian Bale's performance is as mesmerising as De Niro's Travis Bickle in Taxi Driver or Edward Norton's character in American History X. His raw approach to the role makes for a startling but very rewarding experience.Overall Verdict: A tour de force of a movie with fantastic performances, stylish direction and an after-taste which will stay with you for a very long time. Not since American History X has a movie affected me on such an emotional level. Christian Bale deserves more credit. Much more.....9.5/10

unstable fellow, similar to a number of previous roles he's played, but he does it so well.Ayer has improved as a writer, and considering this is his feature film debut as a director, he did fantastically. His knowledge as a director shone through in the Q&A after the film. He also made sure to mention the Cannes labs, where he worked on the script for this film, and how it helped him improve as a writer.Go see it. It's intense, well written, incredibly performed, and is a thinker of a film.

not often a movie is so scary and so sad at the same time. I loved it!

powerhouse. The raw acting talents of this Brit are unfathomable and thankfully his rejuvenation of Batman has finally allowed those chops to be shown on screen in challenging roles for the masses.Crossing between being the soldier/sir, yes sir type of man with the gangbanger of his past could be a difficult thing to believe for a viewer. Bale deftly changes personas as if he was flipping a switch. His ability to go from crazed lunatic to apologetic, tear-filled and beaten man is amazing to watch. Having a great up-and-coming actor to play off of is a plus as Freddy Rodriguez shines in much the same way Ethan Hawke did in Training Day—playing the straight man whose life is finally on the up and up before his love for a friend drags him back down. The rapport between them is believable and effective in showing us what could be. One of their friends, played nicely by Chaka Forman, gets it right when he says how Bale's Jim used to be so mellow. His fits of rage and confusion come upon him with no warning, showing us what war did to him. Being in the trenches created a man without a moral code, one who needs to not think, but just do. If one's capacity to kill was always there, he/she could probably live their lives being able to turn it off when needed. However, if you were not wired that way to begin with, the stark contrast could fry their mind into not knowing what it should do. Harsh Times shows us that fall into delusion and self-loathing to the point where thinking doesn't factor in at all, action becomes reflex and reflex becomes life. Unfortunately society is not of the shoot first variety like that of a warzone.Ayer has done himself well with this directorial effort. He gets great performances throughout and in multiple languages. Even Eva Longoria was adequate and not a blemish on the film as I initially felt she might be. Ayer shows us all facets of his characters helping to enhance the story. We are privy to the past history of all involved and are allowed to understand each person's motives. Seeing the paradise that Bale has in Mexico adds immensely to the conflict going on inside of him as well. The performance by Tammy Trull is paramount to this fact and her undivided love for her broken man is beautifully expressed. This relationship makes his actions that much more powerfully unfathomable. We have monsters among us in this world and while they can be utilized as a necessity for the survival of our culture, hopefully when their jobs are done they can be helped to assimilate back into society without their ambivalence being able to hurt the ones they love.

film, he pulls off the dialogue, attitude and body language really well, You just couldn't tell he was a Brit, let alone welsh. his acting prowess is impeccable. Miles away from the Bruce Wayne he played recently.All in all, its a good film, i won't give away the story, though its nothing extraordinary but it gives us the feel of how life is in crime ridden cities where people fight for survival every single day.

the last 30 minutes of the film are without a doubt one of my favorite performances of an actor. Despite the films many flaws and relatively terrible choice of music despite Graeme Revell's incredible score , the film is still a triumph for Bale. I never write reviews, but this film sticks in my mind so much more than any one film has in a long time. Not only is this a different film for all of those involved, it is a very different performance for Bale. Patrick Bateman will forever be an amazing credential in his career, but this film is one of his many crowning achievements. The film itself is a 7 star film, but the performance by Bale is that extra three stars. This film stands by so many others that have come out this year that will inspire intense debate. The Departed, Babel, The Prestige, and Harsh Times all have a split audience, but to me- a true lover of film, both old and new- they showcase such amazing talent and are definitely my picks for various academy awards. I only pray that Bale will continue to become more popular. And we can all wait and watch in amazement at this man's career. My hope is one day we can see Christian Bale work with Michael Mann, Martin Scorcese, Sam Mendes, Paul Haggis, Clint Eastwood, Alejandro González Iñárritu, David Fincher, Steven Spielberg again and so many other brilliant directors before we see the end of him. See this film if you have a strong constitution and can forget Training Day, but don't expect to see the best picture of the year - only one of the best performances to ever be filmed. 10/10