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Harsh Times (2006) Reviews

Harsh Times (2006)
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An unstable Gulf War veteran with a savior complex receives a shocking wake-up call upon returning stateside and accepting a position with the Department of Homeland Security in the directorial debut of Training Day screenwriter David Ayer. Jim (Christian Bale) is a Gulf War veteran who believes his sworn duty to protect his fellow Americans extends to the streets of Los Angeles, and he longs to fulfill his destiny by joining the LAPD. Rejected by the force and left to ponder his future with his impoverished Mexican paramour -- whom he had intended on bringing to the city after joining the police -- the dejected and unemployed veteran is offered a second shot at helping his country when he is subsequently approached by the Department of Homeland Security. As Jim and his unemployed best friend, Mike (Freddy Rodriguez), carve a swath of chaos through the streets of Los Angeles, the weight of their American dream soon comes crashing down in a devastating blow that threatens to dash their high hopes for a bright future. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

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Starring:
Christian Bale, Freddy Rodriguez, (more)
Director(s):
David Ayer
Theatrical MPAA Rating:
R
Format(s):
DVD  |  Blu-ray
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Average Ratings

(411 member reviews)  

Member Reviews

Christian W.

Harsh Times is the kind of movie that storytellers make for other storytellers. It's dark, funny, poignant and tragic. If you're looking for the "feel good" movie of the year, this ain't it! It looks like a lot of the negative reviews are from folks who turned it off part way through. I guess that's good because if they didn't like the beginning they'd hate the ending. I really appreciate that they let us get to know Bale's character in depth without just telling us what we need to know. This is not some dumb adventure flick, in fact it's pretty much the opposite. All the adventure in this movie is just to help us get to know the characters better. My advice to all those people who didn't like this movie, is to rent it again and give it the time it deserves to develop. Nothing in this movie is free and it requires the full viewing in order to get anything out of it. C

Yes   |   No


William C.

wow this is a mind blowing movie i knew there was a reason i left the marines,but a great freaking movie

Yes   |   No


Marcia G.

If you are a Christian Bale fan - you will love this movie. Freddie also was good. Kept my interest.

Yes   |   No


Stuart D.

Can't say the acting was horrible, but the story line and theme was absolutely worthless. If you like watching guys act stupid on pot and alcohol, then this movie is for you. It goes no where, and you know the ending is just as bad (expected). Heart goes out to all war veterans, but this movie adds little for discussion that guys can be macho jerks; and that coming from one. I agree with others; waste of time

Yes   |   No


GILBERT Z.

Too bad the author couldn't have used thoughtful language instead of cuss words every single line. A waste of time to watch this film that could have been a eye opener for post traumatic stress.

Yes   |   No


Renee V.

This was not a good movie at all. I almost turned it off at the beginning. Now I wish I had - there's 2 hours of my life I won't get back. :-(

Yes   |   No


Victor L.

We stopped watching this movie after 15 minutes. This is, by far, the worse movie we watched in 2007.

Yes   |   No


Page K.

Christian Bale is the main guy (Jim Davis) and he's, once again, great. He's tight in everything he does and for this role, according to the commentary, he did his own stunts, learned quite a bit of Spanish and Chicano street slang and some Korean, as well as how to be an military bad guy. The real guy who made this movie so great was Freddy Rodriguez from Six Feet Under. He plays the best friend of Bale and the girlfriend to Eva and he really struggles with his life all the way through the flick. They all do. All the acting was very good as was the cinematography. The movie begins slowly and chugs along for a while, but I liked that it didn't spoon feed you everything. These guys are just living their lives but it's like they're riding the edge of a razor all the time. The ending is incredibly intense but I won't tell you what the aliens look like. Rentability - 8/10

Yes   |   No


ROBYN K.

Did not even finish. Not worth the time.

Yes   |   No


Adelheid R.

My title says it all...

Yes   |   No


 
 
 

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    Christian W.

    Harsh Times is the kind of movie that storytellers make for other storytellers. It's dark, funny, poignant and tragic. If you're looking for the "feel good" movie of the year, this ain't it! It looks like a lot of the negative reviews are from folks who turned it off part way through. I guess that's good because if they didn't like the beginning they'd hate the ending. I really appreciate that they let us get to know Bale's character in depth without just telling us what we need to know. This is not some dumb adventure flick, in fact it's pretty much the opposite. All the adventure in this movie is just to help us get to know the characters better. My advice to all those people who didn't like this movie, is to rent it again and give it the time it deserves to develop. Nothing in this movie is free and it requires the full viewing in order to get anything out of it. C

    Yes   |   No

     
    William C.

    wow this is a mind blowing movie i knew there was a reason i left the marines,but a great freaking movie

    Yes   |   No

     
    Marcia G.

    If you are a Christian Bale fan - you will love this movie. Freddie also was good. Kept my interest.

    Yes   |   No

     
    Read All 411 Reviews
       

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