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Despite a dedicated performance by Christian Bale, Harsh Times suffers from a heavy-handed and overly bleak plot.
All Critics (99) | Top Critics (34) | Fresh (48) | Rotten (51) | DVD (12)
Harsh Times is an hour-by-hour diary of two crazy, unreliable, irresponsible dudes trying to find a way to fit into the same society they hate, facing one hurdle after another until they appear to butcher half of Los Angeles. Nov 15, 2006
Harsh Times is an hour-by-hour diary of two crazy, unreliable, irresponsible dudes trying to find a way to fit into the same society they hate, facing one hurdle after another until they appear to butcher half of Los Angeles.
Rex Reed
Jim is such a psycho and Mike is such a patsy, we don't care about these guys. We've seen dozens of more interesting head cases in dozens of smarter films. Nov 13, 2006
Jim is such a psycho and Mike is such a patsy, we don't care about these guys. We've seen dozens of more interesting head cases in dozens of smarter films.
Richard Roeper
Harsh Times is so into its own nihilism, it sometimes forgets the humanity beneath the hurt. Nov 10, 2006 | Rating: 2.5/4 | Full Review…
Harsh Times is so into its own nihilism, it sometimes forgets the humanity beneath the hurt.
Peter Howell
Endless scenes of the two guys riding along, venting and cursing and chugging beers play like acting-class exercises, badly written ones at that. Nov 10, 2006 | Rating: 2/5
Endless scenes of the two guys riding along, venting and cursing and chugging beers play like acting-class exercises, badly written ones at that.
Roger Moore
Ayer makes his directing debut with Harsh Times, which is so relentlessly grim that it occasionally goes over the top and invites derision. Nov 10, 2006 | Rating: 2.5/4
Ayer makes his directing debut with Harsh Times, which is so relentlessly grim that it occasionally goes over the top and invites derision.
John Hartl
For a neophyte director, Ayer displays a lot of style. Nov 10, 2006 | Rating: 3/4 | Full Review…
For a neophyte director, Ayer displays a lot of style.
Ruthe Stein
A crazy little film, modest in its scope but grand in its ambition. It paints it's story in loud primary colors, with intense pressure cooker characterizations. May 5, 2008 | Rating: 3/5 | Full Review…
A crazy little film, modest in its scope but grand in its ambition. It paints it's story in loud primary colors, with intense pressure cooker characterizations.
Brian Holcomb
HARSH TIMES is a portrait of a male-dominated world and inChristian Bale's fierce performance, Ayer has found the perfect actor. It's just unfortunate that the screenplay feels like a left-over from an era that has passed. Jul 14, 2007 | Rating: C | Full Review…
HARSH TIMES is a portrait of a male-dominated world and inChristian Bale's fierce performance, Ayer has found the perfect actor. It's just unfortunate that the screenplay feels like a left-over from an era that has passed.
Ted Murphy
just like its protagonist, Harsh Times is fatally flawed, but in a manner that still remains compelling to watch. Jul 9, 2007 | Rating: 4/5 | Full Review…
just like its protagonist, Harsh Times is fatally flawed, but in a manner that still remains compelling to watch.
Anton Bitel
A movie that seems gritty and pointless for its first third, begins to grow in meaning as the pointlessness snowballs into absurdity and then tragedy. Mar 27, 2007 | Full Review…
A movie that seems gritty and pointless for its first third, begins to grow in meaning as the pointlessness snowballs into absurdity and then tragedy.
Michael Wade Simpson
It's an amazing performance, one of the best of the year, with Bale truly making you believe in this over-the-top character. Mar 24, 2007
It's an amazing performance, one of the best of the year, with Bale truly making you believe in this over-the-top character.
Brian Tallerico
Por alguns instantes, o filme parece ter algo relevante a dizer sobre a desumanização provocada pela guerra ou o niilismo de uma geração entediada e descrente, mas constatamos que quer apenas chocar, desperdiçando as ótimas atuações de Bale e Rodriguez. Dec 29, 2006 | Rating: 2/5
Por alguns instantes, o filme parece ter algo relevante a dizer sobre a desumanização provocada pela guerra ou o niilismo de uma geração entediada e descrente, mas constatamos que quer apenas chocar, desperdiçando as ótimas atuações de Bale e Rodriguez.
Pablo Villaça
three stars
Super Reviewer
I was excited to watch Harsh Times cause 1) They had Christian Bale 2) Gritty crime drama Wow.. this movie was crap. The plot was one of the most dull plots to have ever existed; it starts to take off literally in the last 30 minutes. Poorly directed, edited, and shot. The screenplay had no content whatsoever. Christian Bale pulls off a very committed performance but literally everything else fails.
This film just didn't capture me, but it might be a hit for you, a out of control ex gulf war veteran returns home to find a job in law enforcement and he just can't control his anger. only worth 2 1/2 stars from me.
It was quite a good film, it takes a while to really get into but when Christian Bale's character starts to lose the plot you become a little more intrigued with the film. All in all, it was an average film.
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