This film could have easily been called time bomb but maybe that was too obvious. With another outstanding performance from Christian Bale as a discharged war vet trying to cope with life after conflict it is a gritty look at street life and what happens when your edges fray beyond recognition. With a support from Six Feet Under's Freddy Rodriguez as his buddy who is irreversible dragged along for the ride, it is a solid performance and quite a jump from TV to film. Elsewhere desperate housewives Eva Longoria plays the put upon spouse who finds herself in between the twos friendship and troubles. Shot on grainy film like Narc with nods to Jacobs Ladder, Bale's character painfully unravels as the film progresses. He is unemployable and unstable possessing a mind that wants to just get f*cked up to escape a past, but the drink and drugs only serve to fuel his psychosis and instead of numbing the memories reaffirm that he is a trained killing machine a long way away from any battlefield. With a script peppered with swearing and equally messed up characters at 2 hours in length Harsh Times is just that at points, harsh. Dark and unnerving it is an on the edge of your seat thriller ride from bloody start to bloody conclusion. Madness of war and its casualties isn't new ground, but the way the film plays out is. Strong performances and strong language glue together a challenging film with a strong subject matter and Bale yet again proves how good and diverse an actor he can be. It is hard to say a film like this is enjoyable as it is such an uneasy watch, but for anyone who can get through it, I assure you it is worth it.
Review of Harsh Times
