 | ON: Content is age-appropriate for kids this age. |
 | PAUSE: Know your child; some content may not be right for some kids. |
 | OFF: Not age-appropriate for kids this age. |
 | NOT FOR KIDS: Not appropriate for kids any age. |
Harsh Times
- Review Date: March 12, 2007
- R
- Genre: Drama
- 2006
Common Sense Media says
Complex, mature story of a Gulf War vet in crisis.
Parents say
Kids say
What parents need to know
Parents need to know that this movie isn't for kids in any way, shape, or form. Full of bloody violence, drug use, lawlessness, and physical abuse, it follows the experiences of a traumatized Afghanistan war veteran and draws connections between what happened to him during combat and his behavior back home in Los Angeles. Weapons include guns of all kind, knives, and grenades; the brutal violence results in gaping wounds and lots of blood. Characters smoke cigarettes and do drugs (meth, coke, pot), and men treat women badly (lying to them as well as taunting and abusing them). Language is incessant -- there are at least 200 uses of "f--k," plus assorted other profanity.
What's the story?
HARSH TIMES focuses on a few delirious days in the life of Gulf War veteran Jim Davis (Christian Bale). After returning home to L.A., the ex-Army Ranger yearns for a bit of quiet. At first, it seems like he'll find this peace with Marta (Tammy Trull), who lives across the border in Mexico. But Jim's nightmares follow him wherever he goes, and his friends admire his increasingly outrageous behavior. Jim is a product of the low-income, hopeless, and mostly generic "'hood," and he's absorbed its low expectations and cruelty. Though Jim's best friend Mike (Freddy Rodriguez) tells his wife Sylvia (Eva Longoria) that he's passing out his resume, he and Jim are actually out carousing, harassing Jim's ex, and committing crimes. Jim eventually gets an interview with the Department of Homeland Security. When his potential new boss sees Jim's tendency to bully and intimidate his fellow recruits (as well as cheat on the lie detector test), he thinks he's found the perfect macho man agent, ruthless and unafraid to hurt others. Jim calls himself a "soldier of the apocalypse," and that makes him perfect for routing out criminals in Colombia.
Is it any good?
As its title suggests, Harsh Times is a dark, rough movie. It makes the case that Jim's combat experience is of a piece with his life as a young man in urban Los Angeles. As bad as Jim and Mike might want to be, the film insists that their ugliness and mischief are small-time compared to the havoc wreaked by socially approved bodies, from the cops to corporations to the government. Inside these hallowed institutions, Harsh Times shows, men swagger and commit crimes under the color of law and the approval of their fellows.
The film sets up all Jim's confrontations and options in racially marked terms -- Marta, Mike, the "homeboys," and the new job all set him off as lonely, white, and hypermasculine, still feeling bereft and still looking for acceptance. While it doesn't fully pursue the point, Harsh Times at least raises the specter of racism and sexism in the culture that made a man like Jim.
What families can talk about
Families can talk about the connections between Jim's combat experience and his frustrations back home. How are they linked? How does his behavior reflect what happened to him overseas? While he's admired by his friends for his "macho" behavior, how does the movie also show that he's troubled? What does Marta represent for Jim? How would you compare the romances between Jim and Marta and Mike and Sylvia? Which of the characters represent security, and which represent chaos?
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AGE
God have mercy on this film's soul.
100% bad. This movie had no entertainment value at all. I believe there was a point the creator of the the film had tried to get across. I'm just not sure what it was. The acting was awful, but it may be possible it was due to the script they read from. Do not waist your time at all with this DVD, I beg you!
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AGE
War Veteran Suffers From GWS in L.A.
Harsh Times is the story of a Gulf War veteran suffering from traumatic experiences in the war, trying to settle down back at home. The acting is solid and the story runs at a steady pace, until the end, when the story speeds up and attempts a more suspenseful turn. Fans of Training Day will certainly enjoy this movie, as there are many similarities. Parents should know that there is violence, sexual references, drug use, and F-words to a point where you no longer notice it. Violence includes bloody warfare, bloody shootouts, brutal fist fights, a man getting stabbed in the neck, another getting shot in the back with a shotgun, a man being forced to kill his friend, and a man threatening to kill his pregnant wife. There are few good characters, and they are abused by everyone else. The two main characters cheat their way into work, steal drugs, run drugs across the U.S./Mexican border, smoke weed, meth, and cigarettes, drink and drive, abuse their spouses, and kill people. There are an uncountable number of profanities (296 F-words) and many authority figures are corrupt. As a last note, Parents should think twice before letting young kids watch this movie.
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| Studio: | MGM/UA |
| Director: | David Ayer |
| Cast: | Christian Bale, Eva Longoria, Freddy Rodriguez |
| Genre: | Drama |
| Run time: | 120 minutes |
| Theatrical release date: | November 10, 2006 |
| DVD release date: | March 13, 2007 |
| MPAA rating: | R |
| MPAA explanation: | for strong violence, language and drug use. |
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