Review of Harsh Times (2005) by Nate G — 12 Apr 2012

I expected good things from this film, just based on the presence of Christian Bale and Freddy Rodriguez, but the two, especially Bale, exceeded those expectations. The movie in and of itself didn't have a whole lot to it.

There wasn't a lot of plot to follow, Bale's character is ex-Army Ranger, Jim Davis, who is struggling in civilian life to not only fit in, but pull his life together. He's clearly the type of individual that is at least a little disturbed on his own and even more so after his experiences in battle.

Rodriguez plays Mike, a unique role, rarely, if ever depicted in movies. He plays Jim's best friend growing up who is loyal to his friend, even to a fault. The reason this movie was so affective is because Bale and Rodriguez aren't just playing made up characters.

Everyone knows people just like this. Even if they don't know they know them, they do. Bale's character was, to a T, like a few people I grew up with and for every Jim there's at least one Mike out there.

This wasn't a feel good movie, and there wasn't much humor in it, even when Jim and Mike were having a good time. One thing I really liked about it was the way around every corner was another decision for Jim to make that could potentially push him over the edge.

This movie depicts recklessness and self-destruction better than any movie I've ever seen. Definitely check it out at least once, even though it is really uncomfortably dark.