HARSH TIMES
US, 2005, 115 minutes, Colour.
Christian Bale, Freddy Rodriguez, Eva Longoria, J.K. Simmons.
Directed by David Ayer.
This is a strong movie to be admired rather than enjoyed. It pulls very few punches and delivers a great many.
The harsh times of the title are the immediate aftermath of the first soldiers returning from Iraq. The harsh places are South Central LA. The director filmed with 16mm cameras in actual locations and the film as an authentic, desaturated grim and grimy look and feel. Some of the sequences are set in a Mexico which looks little better. Over and above the naturalism, the film opens with what is a hallucinatory dream about vicious action in the war; there are further dreams and, at key moments, there are hallucinatory delusions about reality with the war superimposed on it.
This is a film about violence and madness. It takes place over a few days building to a frightening climax.
Christian Bale was a fine child actor. He is a fine adult actor who has opted for ambiguous and dangerous character roles (even his star turn in Batman Begins). He was suavely mad in American Psycho, emaciatedly schizophrenic in The Machinist. Here he is Jim David, shell-shocked, driven to drink and drugs with outbursts of unpremeditated violence. Yet, he is determined to have an all-American career and can respond with the best of drill-like respect and obedience. Rejected by the LA police as a recruit, he is interviewed and hired by the Bureau of Homeland Security (who seem to want to employ agents with this kind of psychological make-up – which helps explain the accusations of torture against some American military).
But Jim has an inner life, seen in his quite tender devotion to his Mexican girlfriend – which also goes berserk at the end.
Freddy Rodriguez is very good as Mike, Jim’s best friend. But Mike is a follower, easily swayed by Jim to have another drink, try a joint, go to Mexico. Mike could have a good life. His partner is an efficient lawyer – who also tries to control him. But, he prefers the ease of a ‘slacker’.
The film develops this friendship, this interdependency particularly well.
In the background are friends, dealers, gangs. They bash, they kill in diners, there are shootings in the street.
Harsh Times can be easily admired. It is interesting and arresting. It is not enjoyable.
1.The impact of the film? Grim realism? Well crafted? Content that challenges?
2.The sixteen millimetre filming of the Los Angeles streets, authentic locations, the neighbourhoods? Desaturated colour? Los Angeles as an environment? The musical score, the rap songs?
3.The special effects, for the initial war sequences, for Jim’s dreams, hallucinations?
4.The title, the connotations, the US at the beginning of the 21st century, in the context of the war against terror, against drugs, Iraq? The atmosphere of war? The aftermath of war? Law, crime? Violence, guns, gangs and drugs? The lack of moral anchor in the characters?
5.The portrait of Jim Davis, Christian Bale’s presence and performance? Insanity? The opening with the dream about war, the slaughter, his ease and smoking? His screaming and talking in his nightmares? War and its effect? Physical, psychological? His ruthless attitude towards the enemy, sense of duty? His wanting to build a career? The police, being turned down, he venting his anger? Being invited by the federal bureaus – Homeland Security?
6.His relationship to Mata, in Mexico, waking from the nightmares, her love, devotion, wanting to dream for him to save him pain? His promise to marry her? His return, hope, their being together, in the car, her telling him about her pregnancy, his demand for the abortion, his hallucinations about the war, pulling the gun on her? Her defying him, saying she was prepared to die for him because she loved him? The effect on her?
7.The strong friendship with Mike, from the past, the language of the neighbourhoods, Dude and Homey…? Their growing up together? Still as in high school? The quality and lack of quality of life? Drinking, drugs? The bashings? The bond between the two? Love, dependence, Jim and his control?
8.Mike and his age, his experience, a follower? The relationship with Sylvia, her professional work as a lawyer, her love for him? Ordering him about? That he was not to drink, that he was to look for a job? His going out, easily succumbing to Jim’s suggestions, following him? The pretences about the job, the fake phone calls – and her reaction when she found out the truth? The various friends, Jim going to see the girl, the gang in the streets, the bashing, Mike pulling the gun? Jim robbing them? The new gun, the visit to their friend, the information about Eddie, going to the bar, the sudden murder of Eddie? Their running? Going for the job, meeting his friend, getting the job? The prospects? Telling Sylvia? Jim and his demands that Mike go to Mexico, his honouring his promise to Jim, defying Sylvia? In Mexico, not wanting to cheat on Sylvia? Dancing, seeing Jim in the car, his worry? Leaving, the speed of the driving back, Jim’s hallucinations, the marijuana in the trunk of the car, going to sell it, the shoot-out? Mike and his personal dilemma, Jim pleading for him to shoot him? His doing so, returning to Sylvia and embracing her? The effect – for the rest of his life?
9.Jim, the experience of being a soldier, his angers? Going to visit the girlfriend, her sister and antagonism, the gang, the bashing, the guns, robbing them? Trying to sell the gun, their black friend, Eddie, the woman in the bar, the murder? His being called in for the interview, his sense of duty, his plan to fake the urine test? Lining up, his military style, tormenting the Asian candidate, pushing him out of the way? The psychological tests? The polygraph, his plan to cheat, the administrator and his knowing what was happening? The officials, their discussions, going to the higher-ups, the interview, the problem of his polygraph, deceitful, the type that they wanted? The job for Colombia, warning him not to marry, the prospect of women in Colombia? His plan to go to training in Georgia?
10.The decision to go to Mexico, Mata and her pregnancy, his going berserk, the gun, apologising? The mad drive on the return, taking the drugs through the border patrol, trying to sell the drugs, the friendly aspects, pulling the gun, the shootings, merciless? His being wounded, asking Mike to kill him? The end of a life – seeing himself as a failure?
11.Sylvia, lawyer, her relationship with Mike, wanting to control him? Her disgust at his deception, ordering him out? The possibility of a reconciliation – his going to Mexico, despite her? The final embrace?
12.The background in the streets, Toussaint as their friend, memories of the past, in Florida? Their being chased by the police and pulled up, the irony of Leo knowing them, the conversations and their getting off scot-free? The gangs, the drug pushers, the sellers and dealers, the bars, the murders in the bar?
13.The portrait of contemporary American insanity?
