kjjames81 Bale overacting especially the last thirty minutes, before that the film was a just above average movie, acting okay, story okay, nothing special here.I watched it only because of the great reviews this movie has had and I came away very disappointed.It would have been better if Bale had played his role down with more intensity not hit his acting full throttle and over act almost every scene he was in.I read that someone said he should have had an Oscar for this role, no not the way he played it.Watch it but don't expect a spectacular movie.

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.

Scott LeBrun Screenwriter David Ayer ("Training Day") debuts as director with this not uninteresting look at some troubled lives. The fact that the script is autobiographical does give it some impact, and overall the story is potent in the way that it chronicles one mans' downward spiral when it seems that fate is conspiring against him. The main character is based on men that Ayer knew, and while not all that sympathetic, he's a commanding presence, flaws and all. What helps a great deal is the acting by the talented Christian Bale (also one of the executive producers here), who's as incredible as ever completely immersing himself in a role. Well shot and fairly absorbing, the film doesn't have that much resonance when it's over but it would be hard not to feel *something*.Bale plays Jim Davis, a former Army Ranger who was very efficient at brutally dispatching the enemy. When he returns stateside, he drifts back into a life of petty crime, pot smoking, and general aimlessness. He's not totally unambitious, though; he does have aspirations of joining the LAPD. There is a problem, however: he's mentally unbalanced, and tends towards being irresponsible. His best friend Mike (Freddy Rodriguez) isn't much better off, willingly going along with Jim on his escapes despite the fact that he's promised to find employment to help out his girlfriend Sylvia (Eva Longoria).Bale is really the one that makes this a must-see, acting with his customary intensity and sense of commitment. Rodriguez is very good as well, offering a somewhat more rational- minded individual who runs into problems when he insists on being loyal to his friend. The cast of mostly unfamiliar faces does well; J.K. Simmons and Terry Crews are great as always in their small roles, and Tammy Trull is beautiful and appealing as the Mexican woman whom Jim intends to marry. Cinematographer Steve Mason gives this a very slick albeit fairly monochromatic look while Ayer mostly refrains from visual gimmicks until near the end. Graeme Revells' touching score is supplemented by an eclectic soundtrack.Fans of urban crime dramas should find this to be pretty entertaining.Seven out of 10.

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