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

MPAA:

Rated R for strong violence, language and drug use.

Runtime:

116 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

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:

Revealing mistakes: When Jim and Mike are driving in the car, Mike opens two bottles of beer for himself and Jim. However you can see that Jim's beer has already been opened and is missing it's crown cap.

Quotes:

Jim Davis: I see dumb people.

Movie Connections:

Features "Te voy a enseñar a querer" (2004)

Soundtrack:

Boyz-N-The-Hood

Training Day... but with a better script, better actors, and a better director

An intense film, that FEELS a lot like Training Day, but with more of a gritty approach, and with actors who seem actually believable... which makes sense since it's based on the real life experiences of the director/writer and people he knows.

Rodriguez (who was at the World Premiere) and Bale give stellar performances. Rodriguez, if this film is well distributed, will get huge exposure and will likely go far. His performance was incredible, believable, and emotional. Bale continues to show that he's one of the best in Hollywood. Sure, he's playing a slightly psychotic, mentally unstable fellow, similar to a number of previous roles he's played, but he does it so well.

Ayer has improved as a writer, and considering this is his feature film debut as a director, he did fantastically. His knowledge as a director shone through in the Q&A after the film. He also made sure to mention the Cannes labs, where he worked on the script for this film, and how it helped him improve as a writer.

Go see it. It's intense, well written, incredibly performed, and is a thinker of a film.