Harsh Times
Review by Fritz Esker
Lots of films concern themselves with the horrors of war. Considerably fewer address the realities of what a person goes through after he/she has experienced or done the unthinkable. Flags of Our Fathers leaps to mind. People forget this because of the inanity of the ensuing Rambo movies, but First Blood in many ways made worthy attempts at showing the hardships faced by Vietnam vets after they returned home. Harsh Times, directed by David Ayer (writer of Training Day), is a movie that admirably tries, but ultimately fails, to capture the difficulties faced by combat veterans who try to return to society.
Jim (Christian Bale) is an Army Ranger who has returned home to Los Angeles and struggling to adjust to civilian life. Rejected from the L.A.P.D. for psychiatric reasons, he spends most of the day drinking, getting stoned, and doing generally stupid things like picking fights with thugs and selling guns with his childhood buddy Mike (Freddy Rodriguez).
Sadly, Ayer’s script is aimless and unfocused, and the audience is only given glimpses of what could have been if the screenplay had been more focused. Far too much time (basically the first hour or so) is simply devoted to the men getting smashed and behaving idiotically. Christian Bale, normally a terrific actor, gives a shaky performance in the lead, as the unstable Army Ranger teetering on the brink of collapse. Bale and Rodriguez (Six Feet Under) play two guys who frequently throw out words like “dawg” and “homey.” However, it always seems like we’re watching two actors play dress-up tough guys, as opposed to watching genuine head cases. In other words, they’re only mildly more convincing than James and myself would be in the same roles.
Any film that attempts to make a statement about how difficult life is for those who return from a war deserves some points. But all in all, Harsh Times feels like a wasted opportunity.