Harsh Times (2005)

User Rating:

7.0/10   

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

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:

Noel Gugliemi, who plays Flaco, wears a jacket with a name tag that says 'Hector'. In The Fast and the Furious (2001), Noel Gugliemi played a character called Hector.

Goofs:

Crew or equipment visible: In the scene where Jim’s car gets pulled over by two cops, a shot showing Officer Leo walking up to the car reveals a crew member visible to the left of the second officer (far left of the screen).

Quotes:

Leo: [pointing firearm at Mike and Jim] Blink and die, scumbag!

Movie Connections:

References Tell Your Children (1936)

Soundtrack:

Return of the Tres

Wow!

Saw Harsh Times today, mostly because Bale is gorge! and was blown away. Just one problem, and that is the way Freddy and Christians characters talk: "Wassup dawg/dude/homie", it's grating and annoying. There are some truly shocking, out of the blue moments, and not once is this movie clichéd or predictable. I was disappointed that there were only 20 people at the most in the cinema, especially as it's the first day. The way the ending is shot is very impressive and moving, and stayed with me for ages afterwards. There is a lot of unnecessary swearing, but I suppose that is the way Jim and Mike would speak. Also, Jim is supposed to be 26 but looks a lot older. I was so impressed and can't wait for the DVD, although I won't be surprised the second time round. I recommend Harsh Times very highly; it is emotional, violent, realistic, hilarious, thought provoking, traumatic, inspired, entertaining, gripping, original and shocking.