"Harsh Times" (2005) - Movie Review

Some one said “Idle mind is devil’s workshop” and I have seen it happening. Trying to convince the loved ones that they are doing the best they could to get a life in this life. Managing to avoid the eye contact with them and once the foot is set on the streets; it belongs to the other people. The mind gets easily manipulated and hypnotized for the time period out of the house. Conscience kills and everything comes back the minute the foot stepping back in to the house. “Harsh Times” brings back those haunting memories for everyone. May be they would not have cruised in the most horrible and dangerous streets of L.A, but the mood of slacking off would have definitely been there. It brings back those dark memories of many people’s days when they were on the streets with some people who did not know what they were doing.

The theme of course runs deeper than that and it attempts to. Jim (Christian Bale) is an ex-army ranger who still gets the nightmares of some of the brutal incidents which happened to him in the war zone. He wakes up shivering in a small Mexican village home with his girl friend Martha (Tammy Tull). He packs up and gives a good bye any girl will remember. And the next frame there it is, Jim all wicked and dark. Getting the suspicious hate look from Sylvia (Eva Longoria), he grabs her boy friend Mike (Freddy Rodriguez) who is his best friend on to the streets. Mike is job less and busy boozing with Jim. His intentions are over shadowed by the manipulations of Jim. He goes behind Sylvia’s back and roams around the city’s crooked places.

It is tough to understand Jim and in fact it is not even remotely possible to grasp his actions. His devil always lies on the surface and Mike does sense it, but does not want to believe it. Both have high hopes in life. The sad fact is for some reason as long as Jim gets his career right on course, he consciously or sub consciously brings down Mike with him. It is the feeling everyone goes through when they do not want to be the only one labeled loser. Jim exactly knows what he wants in his life. Of course Jim wants to be a cop so that he can bring Martha into US. He is a character been messed up by the environment he was and is in. He plays close with those dangerous emotions of seeing blood in his hands. His buddy does not know that for real until it emerges out of him in a shocking manner.

Mike might appear in the same league of Jim, but knows his limitations. He knows to say “No”. But the sad part is he does not say it to his buddy Jim. Jim drags him every way possible with the tag of friend ship even though he means it. Mike is the typical “good” street guy who does think good intentions but does not have the authority or the “male ego stupid action” destroys those completely. He is the “idle mind” and the “workshop” too but Jim brings in the factor of devil.

The movie gives the feeling of walking over a land mine. It gives the feeling of these stupidly dangerous characters going around the craziest nook and corner. It is stupid because when the same time they are talking about their careers and life, they play with a gun and smoke illegal substances in the main places. The reality is the ambience they grew got into them so deep; it becomes a daily routine for them to mix it both. There is an uncomfortable wary ness in the audience whenever they have a happy laugh. It rides on the edges of the bridge when they play with their guns. The movie symbolizes the culture of owning a weapon and the control over it clearly. The environment through out the movie is scary and constantly reminding the dangers which might any time engulf them. There does lie a peaceful moment. Moments not sub consciously placing the fear in to the viewer’s mind as they do all along the movie, but the pure relaxation of those personalities with their beers in the perfectly natural setting of Mexico. That place and the talk seem right, not only to the audience but also to the characters. And the film takes the wide spin of the devil waking up in Jim’s brain. All hell breaks loose and the viewers pretty much expect the happenings. This is the frame of let down in the film. I guess the director; David Ayer was not able to conclude on a right note. Sure that Jim is all good and has been terribly affected and mentally deformed his character during the war, but apart from being not left alone in the trashes of “job less” why does he wants his best friend to go through all the risks along with him from the start. His panic attack may explain his act of aggression and violence but not the act of deception on his buddy. His dark ness spins off in a different mood when he is around and I am not able to understand his actions towards his friend on this.

Apart from the improper signoff, the film is a battle ground for Christian Bale and Freddy Rodriguez and they fight off every single frame with amazing smooth ness and down right execution. The film brings in the nativity and authenticity of L.A mean streets to the screen. It also brings in the haunting wounds of violence promoting violence and how it murk the mind of a person. It shows these are the times when a man is in the wrong place and amongst the wrong time with brilliant mind crooked out all wrong. It is the story which gets the right treatment but slightly confuses itself in the end. This confusion inhibits the clean right out message it may have had. While there seem the signs of it and also the gripping screenplay to keep the audience engaged all through the movie, it never struck the right ending note which it should have. Or may be it is this murky feeling a viewer might get is the sullen voice of it.