Rotten Tomatoes

Movies / TV

    Celebrity

      No Results Found

       View All       Movies Tv shows Shop News Showtimes

      Harsh Times

      R Released Nov 10, 2006 1h 55m Crime Drama List
      48% 99 Reviews Tomatometer 55% 50,000+ Ratings Audience Score Jim (Christian Bale) is a Gulf War veteran and he believes it is his sworn duty to protect Americans by policing the streets of Los Angeles. His dreams are shattered when he is rejected by the Los Angeles Police Department leaving him and his Mexican paramour in the lurch. Jim is soon offered a position in the Department of Homeland Security leading him to recruit his unemployed best friend Mike (Freddy Rodriquez) to carve a path of devastation across the city. Read More Read Less Watch on Fandango at Home Premiered Aug 08 Buy Now

      Where to Watch

      Harsh Times

      Fandango at Home Prime Video

      Rent Harsh Times on Fandango at Home, Prime Video, or buy it on Fandango at Home.

      Harsh Times

      What to Know

      Critics Consensus

      Despite a dedicated performance by Christian Bale, Harsh Times suffers from a heavy-handed and overly bleak plot.

      Read Critics Reviews

      Audience Reviews

      View All (1000+) audience reviews
      James M This is a very entertaining movie and Christian Bale is off the charts in terms of his amazing versatility. It's not a pleasant movie, but it certainly is exciting movie that will not bore you ..nice little Latino angle for those who care. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 04/07/24 Full Review Jamie L Have watched this film more than 100x. I know every word. Brilliant, funny and disturbing. Bale and Rodriguez have incredible chemistry. Unforgettable. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 12/31/23 Full Review KCR_ J I don't know why this movie has a low score. This movie is Awesome! Rated 5 out of 5 stars 12/02/23 Full Review Kathryn V Christian Bales acting was so good, the movie was disturbing, riveted in my seat the whole time. He does these roles so well, The Machinist, American Psycho, this one was the best. He just does any role so well. Falls right into anything, makes any movie he is in a good movie. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 10/26/23 Full Review Red B The first half is a mess and can't figure out if it wants to be a urban drama/dark comedy while the second half is actually a solid psychological thriller with a good character study at times. Everything about this isn't half bad but second half heavy. However that good movie gets lost under a myraid of issues. The acting is decent but Bale is miscast. To me its like he read what are "Hood" people like and tried to emmulate that and I cant tell the way he acts is someone who has never actually expeirenced the urban lifestyle or knows anyone like that. But when he is a psychopath on the edge and stops with the homie stuff he's borderline riveting especially towards the end. Everyone else is just kind of ok and a bit forgettable save for Mike who does get better in the second half. None of them are really that likeable and kind of idiot jerks so its hard to root for them to get jobs. The music is decent but a bit of a mess. It's 2005 and over half the rap numbers they have were dated by the late 90s. It needed more modern hip hop. The cinematography isn't bad either. Most of the time its pretty basic camerawork and scenes that get weighed down by the out of place Homie style banter and unmemorable locations. The first half it feels very unfocused editing wise and its almost like they just drive around doing dumb stuff with no rhyme or reason. Anything job related is interesting but it goes right back to the stupid antics as soon as it builds momentum until like the last 20 minutes when it gets super intense. The ending is good though and I wish the entire film would've been more gritty, grounded, and heavy. This really suprised me how serious, dark, and good it gets when it stops all the stupid antics and takes itself seriously. This is like a watered down Blindspotting. This needed someone who could better capture urban characteristics, better dark humor if your going to use it, and more focus throughout. Anyone who is a Bale fan or Ayer fan can check this out. Bale despite the out of place acting for most of the runtime makes up for it with a super committed ending. Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 09/29/23 Full Review sergio G How is the sudience score so low? This is a badass movie! Chrisrian Bale is one hell of an actor. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 04/06/23 Full Review Read all reviews Post a rating

      Cast & Crew

      Show Less Cast & Crew Show More Cast & Crew

      More Like This

      View All Best Movies to Stream at Home
      39% 89% Man on Fire TRAILER for Man on Fire 83% 53% Steel City 57% 61% We Own the Night 17% 70% Get Rich or Die Tryin' 66% 47% What Doesn't Kill You Discover more movies and TV shows. View More

      Movie News & Guides

      View All Movie News & Guides

      This movie is featured in the following articles.

      Frank Miller Faults Weinsteins for Sin City 2 Delay Box Office Guru Preview: "Nativity" Leads Trio of New Releases Box Office Wrapup: Sexytime for "Borat" Once Again!

      Photos

      View All Harsh Times photos

      Harsh Times

      View more photos

      Critics Reviews

      View All (99) Critics Reviews
      Brian Tallerico UGO 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 Full Review Josh Rosenblatt Austin Chronicle Harsh Times wins in the end by keeping its fingers wrapped tightly around its viewers' throats. Rated: 3/5 Nov 25, 2006 Full Review Rex Reed Observer 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 Full Review Fred Topel Hollywood.com Rated: 2/5 Nov 20, 2008 Full Review Brian Holcomb CinemaBlend 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. Rated: 3/5 May 5, 2008 Full Review Ted Murphy Murphy's Movie Reviews 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. Rated: C Jul 14, 2007 Full Review Read all reviews

      Movie Info

      Synopsis Jim (Christian Bale) is a Gulf War veteran and he believes it is his sworn duty to protect Americans by policing the streets of Los Angeles. His dreams are shattered when he is rejected by the Los Angeles Police Department leaving him and his Mexican paramour in the lurch. Jim is soon offered a position in the Department of Homeland Security leading him to recruit his unemployed best friend Mike (Freddy Rodriquez) to carve a path of devastation across the city.
      Director
      David Ayer
      Producer
      Christian Bale
      Screenwriter
      David Ayer
      Distributor
      Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
      Production Co
      Crave Films, Harsh Times LLC
      Rating
      R (Language|Drug Use|Strong Violence)
      Genre
      Crime, Drama
      Original Language
      English
      Release Date (Theaters)
      Nov 10, 2006, Wide
      Release Date (Streaming)
      Dec 13, 2016
      Box Office (Gross USA)
      $3.3M
      Runtime
      1h 55m
      Sound Mix
      SDDS, Dolby Digital, DTS, Dolby SRD
      Aspect Ratio
      Flat (1.85:1)
      Most Popular at Home Now