Parents' Guide to

Harsh Times

By Cynthia Fuchs, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 18+

Complex, mature story of a Gulf War vet in crisis.

Movie R 2006 120 minutes
Harsh Times Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this movie.

Community Reviews

See all
age 15+

Based on 1 parent review

Castellanos
Castellanos Adult
August 4, 2009
age 15+

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.

This title has:

Too much swearing
See all 1 parent review

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?

Our review:
Parents say: (1):
Kids say: Not yet rated

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.

Talk to Your Kids 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?

Movie Details

  • In theaters: November 10, 2006
  • On DVD or streaming: March 13, 2007
  • Cast: Christian Bale, Eva Longoria, Freddy Rodriguez
  • Director: David Ayer
  • Inclusion Information: Latinx actors
  • Studio: MGM/UA
  • Genre: Drama
  • Run time: 120 minutes
  • MPAA rating: R
  • MPAA explanation: for strong violence, language and drug use.
  • Last updated: April 4, 2023

Inclusion information powered by

Did we miss something on diversity?

Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by suggesting a diversity update.

Common Sense Media's unbiased ratings are created by expert reviewers and aren't influenced by the product's creators or by any of our funders, affiliates, or partners.

See how we rate