Harsh Times (2005)

Director:

David Ayer

Writer (WGA):

David Ayer (written by)

Release Date:

10 November 2006 (USA)

Genre:

Crime | Drama | Thriller

Plot:

A tough-minded drama about two friends in South Central Los Angeles and the violence that comes between them.

Plot Keywords:

Marijuana | Mexico | Lawyer | Unemployment | Murder

Awards:

1 nomination

Cast

  (Cast overview, first billed only)

Christian Bale	...	Jim Luther Davis
Freddy Rodríguez	...	Mike Alonzo
Eva Longoria Parker	...	Sylvia (as Eva Longoria)
Chaka Forman	...	Toussant
Tammy Trull	...	Marta
J.K. Simmons	...	Agent Richards
Michael Monks	...	Agent Hollenbeck
Samantha Esteban	...	Letty
Tania Verafield	...	Patty
Noel Gugliemi	...	Flaco
Adriana Millan	...	Rita
Geovanny Corvera	...	Wilo (as Geo Corvera)
Cesar Garcia	...	Listo
Terry Crews	...	Darrell
Emilio Rivera	...	Eddy

Also Known As:

Acimasiz hayat (Turkey: Turkish title) [tr]
Bad Times (France) [fr]
Harsh Times - Leben am Limit (Germany) [de]
I Harsh Times - Giorni dell'odio (Italy) [it]
Karmid ajad (Estonia) [et]
Nehéz idök (Hungary) [hu]
Soldado de ciudad (Argentina) (DVD title) [es]
Surova vremena (Serbia) (DVD title) [sr]
Tempos de Violência (Brazil) [pt]
Teska vremena (Serbia) [sr]
Thanatos stin poli ton angelon (Greece) (DVD title) [el]
Vidas al límite (Spain) [es]

MPAA:

Rated R for strong violence, language and drug use.

Runtime:

116 min | South Korea:103 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English | Spanish

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

UK:15 | Ireland:16 | Australia:MA | USA:R (certificate #42104) | Singapore:M18 | France:-12 | Germany:16 | Portugal:M/16 | Finland:K-15 | New Zealand:R18 | Italy:VM14 | Philippines:R-18 | Argentina:16 | South Korea:18

Filming Locations:

Baja California, Mexico

Company:

Andrea Sperling Productions

Trivia:

"Emilio Rivera" (Eddy) and "Paul Renteria" (Ranchero) who appear in the Mexican Bar Scene, appeared yearly in the early 1990's in the Historic Chicano Play "The Silver Dollar" performed in front of live patrons in the rough and tumble Silver Dollar Bar on famous Whittier Boulevard in East Los Angeles, CA, which commemorated the shooting and actual death site of LA Times Correspondent Ruben Salazar on August 29, 1970, during the East LA Riots. In the late 1990's they appeared on screen as Brothers without realizing they were in the same film, until the screening at the American Film Institute in Hollywood, CA. Their 4th collaboration was in 2007's Toyota Tundra "Band Roadies" Spanish Television Commercial & Latino Concert Series. Off screen, Emilio and Paul speak to High School students about Acting & Life Issues, participate in Celebrity Softball Games, and can often be seen rolling on the streets of Los Angeles supporting Children's Toy Runs & Various Fundraisers on their Harley-Davidson Motorcycles.

Goofs:

Continuity: When Jim gets attacked by Flaco and his crew, the fighting stops when he fires his pistol two times in the air. Being a semi-auto pistol, at this time the gun would have to be cocked. Yet after Jim tells Mike to check the car only a few seconds later, he cocks the gun again.

Quotes:

Jim Davis: I'm a soldier of the apocalypse, man!

Movie Connections:

References Training Day (2001)

Soundtrack:

Murlo la Flor

Christian Bale is spectacular!

This is a pretty good movie. It's really intense and disturbing. The pairing of Freddy Rodreiguez and Christian Bale definitely covers the wide range of emotions that the duo go through during the film. I won't be too specific, but Bale really pulls off a haunting portrayal of a guy who is really messed up, but never fails when he needs to expose what little shred of humanity that still remains. Rodreiguez plays opposite Bale and plays well off of him and vice versa. Eva Longoria makes an appearance in this film and that's always something to look forward to. I recommend this movie, but it isn't for the squeamish. It's a lot like Training Day, (also written by director David Ayer) and I'll go as far as to say that it's actually better.