With his directorial debut, David Ayer chose to create a film around subjects he knows all too well: Military veterans, law enforcement, the ghetto and violence. To completely understand Harsh Times, you should be aware that Ayer grew up on the streets of South Central Los Angeles and was exposed to "ghetto life" at a very young age. He later went on to join the Navy, only to return home to a life full of various jobs in construction. That is until he discovered writing, and finally had some sort of output for all the characters and life experiences running rampant throughout his mind.

Shortly after leaving the military and long before he struck Hollywood gold with a script called Training Day, Ayer tapped into all those unforgiving memories from his youth and penned Harsh Times. While Training Day was his meal ticket to a successful screenwriting career, Harsh Times was more personal; it was his heart and soul. Ayer was so protective over this script that he refused to give it to anyone else, hell-bent on directing it himself. So, he took out a mortgage on his house, managed to attach an up-and-coming star in Christian Bale and set out to bring his long gestating vision to the big screen. But was it worth it?



Bale plays Jim Davis, an ex-Army Ranger who, upon returning home from combat, can't seem to sleep through the night without suffering from a slew of vicious nightmares detailing the murders he committed while fighting abroad. His one salvation is Marta (Tammy Trull), a girl from Mexico who he's fallen in love with. Now, if he can only land a job (preferably in law enforcement) and find a way to bring Marta to the States, life could straighten itself out with happiness right around the corner. Back home in Los Angeles, while awaiting an offer from the LAPD, Jim hooks up with his best friend Mike (Freddy Rodríguez) who has some employment problems of his own. Mike was recently given an ultimatum by his beautiful girlfriend Sylvia (Eva Longoria): Either find a job or move out. Thus, he's given an allowance and instructed to spend each day dropping off resumés until something comes his way. Unfortunately for Mike and Sylvia, Jim is back and he's looking to re-kindle some of those old memories -- which involve driving the strip, drinking beer and smoking pot, all while on the hunt for a little bit of trouble if the opportunity should present itself.

For a good amount of the film we're left wondering why it wasn't called High Times, instead of Harsh Times. Jim and Mike kill time by coming up with ways to deceive Sylvia and make it seem as if Mike is looking for a job (Jim will often disguise his voice and leave fake messages on Mike's answering machine pretending to be employers requesting an interview), when all he's really doing is drinking beer and smoking pot. . After Jim is rejected by the LAPD, an opportunity arises with the Department of Homeland Security. However, he must first pass a drug test and a lie-detector test, both of which are huge tasks seeing as most of his time is spent inhaling the wrong answers. The plot chugs along slowly, as if it's too busy enjoying a second-hand high, and it isn't until the last half hour of the flick when things finally begin to heat up.

The biggest problem with Harsh Times is its story, and even though Ayer is a seasoned screenwriter, this script was written before he had a chance to perfect the craft. Ayer spends way too much time on the mundane day-to-day situations Jim and Mike find themselves wrapped up in. Sure, the ghetto isn't exactly your average everyday suburb, but we certainly expect more than a stolen gun and an ex-girlfriend's jealous boyfriend. Mike and Sylvia's relationship just isn't believable enough. Longoria's portrayal of a woman who cares about her lover and desperately wants a better life for the two of them is stale, contrived and unconvincing. Of course, the script doesn't help either; the two share a total of perhaps ten minutes screen time together.

With the story falling apart faster than Longoria's big-screen career, the only thing left to hang onto are a decent performance from Freddy Rodriguez and an edgy, psychotic, explosive Christian Bale. Bale is so good, he's bound to win an Oscar sooner or later -- assuming he continues to choose complex roles, and doesn't just settle for the big pay day. Seeing as Bale had a few years with this script before production began, it gave him plenty of time to live and breathe this character. While at times his ghetto-speak sounded a bit odd, it worked because here's a guy who has been so far removed from a life he once knew that the transition back needs to look and feel awkward. However, the military has changed him; he's now a killing machine unable to feel anything unless his back is up against a wall. Even then, his emotions are so overwhelming they're impossible to control. As his mind slowly deteriorates, it sets up a truly powerful conclusion to the film -- an ending we wish was built around more substance and less substance abuse.

The film spends time in both Los Angeles and Mexico, two places Ayer is very familiar with. This makes his role as a director that much easier, and he does a good job showing us the similarities and differences between the two. There's definitely passion and style in Ayer's direction; there's nothing better than placing a filmmaker on the streets where they grew up and setting them loose to show us a reality that often gets lost in big-budgeted commercial flicks. But because the story started in the wrong spot (while watching the film, see if you can pick out a number of places where the story should have begun), Christian Bale's acting can only take the film so far before the buzz wears off and, like its characters, your searching the plot for a high that never materializes.

For more on Harsh Times, check out Cinematical's interview with writer-director David Ayer.