'Harsh Times'[2005] Review

I've seen this movie a few months ago, it was made in 2005, but I haven't heard of it until 2007, lack of publicity. This movie is directed by David Ayer the creator of: Training Day(2001) and the one who made the screenplay for: S.W.A.T.(2003) and The Fast and the Furious(2001). Some people told me that Harsh Times is "Training Day 2", because of the style and those who enjoyed Training Day sure will like to see Christian Bale(ex-Ranger Jim Luther Davis), Freddy Rodríguez(Mike Alonzo) and Eva Longoria Parker(as Sylvia).

The story starts with ex-Ranger Jim Davis who mets his best friend Mike "Miguel" Alonzo in order to have a few beers and to cruise around Los Angeles. Jim is hopping to be recruited in the L.A. Police Department. Jim seems to lose his minds, not being able to make distinction between reality and his memories from war. He becomes mad when he finds out that he was rejected from Los Angeles Police Department due failure of psychological test. He starts acting violent, gets involved in a few fights, robs some gangsters and drug dealer. Good news come fast and Jim finds out that he will be recruited by the Department of Homeland Security for a job in Columbia against a drug lord.

Because of Jim, Mike gets into a fight with his girlfriend Sylvia and tries to get a job to prove that he's not "good-for-nothing". The line that I like the most is: "You're crazy and you're dangerous! And my biggest nightmare is you with a badge!" when Sylvia is having a fight with Jim. So basically Jim is begging to lose his mind when he tries to kill his girlfriend, the same woman he wants to marry, because she told him that she is pregnant.

This drama is one of the best movie in which Christian Bale performed since Equilibrium(2002).

Trailer 'Harsh Times'[2005]: