Weekly Review -- Unpretty urbania

Harsh Times (2005) -- A gritty view of the Los Angeles underbelly through the eyes of two very different, but equally lost men, this David Ayer film serves to remind us just how precious life is and how many choices we have to make every day. Two longtime friends, job-seeking Mike Alonzo (Freddy Rodríguez) and ex-Army ranger Jim Davis (Christian Bale), raise hell around South Central Los Angeles instead of trying to better their lives. While Mike's passivity is due to his (too) laid-back nature, the reasons behind Jim's behavior are much more complex. Traumatized by the first Gulf War and capable of breaking down at any point, Jim is unable to move on with life at a normal pace. He attempts to join law enforcement, while trying to figure out a way to bring his Mexican girlfriend Marta (Tammy Trull) to the States. However, he also turns to petty and not-so-petty crime in order to survive, thereby putting Mike's life in danger more than once. Throughout the film, we are witness to these two young men heading into oblivion. Bale's performance as Jim is devastating. The character is so conflicted and his view of life so skewered, that one wonders how he is able to function at all, and Bale brings his inner battles to life with precision. He elicits at once our anger at society for creating a monster and our sympathy for the lost soul. Rodríguez is impressive as Mike, who can only do so much to help his friend, but who also realizes he has his own confusion to deal with. Trull is fantastic as Marta; her scene in the car is heartbreaking and opens up a new door to what this woman is going through. Occasionally, the film suffers from slow pacing and trying to resolve too many issues in a short timespan. Still, the well defined relationship between the main characters and their emotionally charged choices and doubts override the small flaws, and make Harsh Times an effective, human drama.

8/10