The greatest movie ever made..!

Some things I liked some I did not.

A lot of perfectly good film show their cards early, establish a unique premise and let the audience explore a topic at a leisurely pace, without much in terms of surprise. this film is not one of those films.

Story: It's very simple but honestly that is fine.

This film came on Channel Four television a few weeks ago and I decided to record it (as it was on at 3am).When I sat down to watch it the next day I didn't expect much, as the film is not terribly well-known amongst people like myself who prefer arty type movies - but I soon found myself both riveted and transfixed by the magnificent acting by the central characters.Christian Bale delivers an outstanding performance as the psychiatrically challenged and disturbed Jim- who seamlessly changes personality from good time guy to evil sadistic killer. I was mesmerised by a character that normally I wouldn't have time for - and it was all down to the actor's stellar performance as a man coming to terms with life outside the military regime he had been used to; a man dealing with the complexities of a life in civvy street- where the answer is not to just blow it away with your gun on the order of your superior.I won't say any more than that: watch this gripping film and understand a little bit more how life in the military can make some ex servicemen unable to hold onto reality once they leave it.

David H. Ayer's gritty crime drama took years to achieve mainstream acceptance, but today it is seen as a pioneering analysis of macho culture in the notoriously misogynistic Latino community.Christian Bale plays the traumatised manches with a bad case of PTSD and a scrawny Mexican girlfriend who won't let him do her in the puerto. Freddy Rodríguez is the baby-faced cabron who boasts about the size of his tienes but can't get it up for a bit of güey with his woman.If you're a short, angry pollo with an inferiority complex who's attracted to skinny, breastless women built like string beans wearing two peas beneath an optimistically padded AA training bra, this could be the movie for you.I rate Harsh Times at 26.64 on the Haglee Scale, which works out as a solid 8/10 on IMDb.

Harsh times is a very hard film to enjoy. Its a gritty drama, filled with violence, drugs and insanity. That's why people seem to dismiss it, there's so much in-you-face material that the deeper meaning gets ignored.I can't comment too much without spoiling, so I'll just give a recommendation- watch the whole film and try too look past the IMDb score and your first impression of the characters.Bale's acting gets bashed a lot, but that's part of his character. His psychotic behavior and insanity are part of the loud subtlety of this film.Even if we ignore the plot, this movie has a great atmosphere that will appeal to people who enjoy realistic and dark portrayals of real life cities. It reminded me a lot of The Wire.

This movie is under the shadow of training day but is better in my opinion. I am a fan of Christian Bale and I don't think anyone else can play someone falling into a dark psychopathic place than him (see American psycho). For me this movie is all about having a friend who you can't say no to. I have had this friend before and the way that it is portrayed in this movie is absolutely spot on. The other reviews which mention that it takes a while to really grab your attention is true(which is why I give this a 9 and not a 10). The friendship between Bale and Rodriguez does keep you engaged though. This is what makes this movie so good, their friendship appears to run deep and very true to me anyway.If Denzel won an Oscar for Training day then I think bale deserves one here and Rodriguez for supporting actor.