SINOPSIS
Jim Davis (Christian Bale) seorang angkatan laut baru saja dikeluarkan dari kemiliteran dalam tugasnya di Irak, masih saja dibayang-bayangi dengan mimpi buruk akan pekerjaan lamanya. Ketika mencari kerja di LAPD yang akan membuat dia bisa menikahi pacarnya yang merupakan gadis Mexico dan membawanya masuk ke dalam Amerika, Jim menghabiskan waktunya dengan temannya yang seorang pengangguran, Mike Alvarez(Freddy Rodriguez), yang berasal dari Selatan Los Angeles. Dari sinilah cerita dimulai.
Mike merasakan tekanan dari pacar yang sudah menjadi pendampingnya sejak lama, Sylvia (Eva Longoria). Pacarnya tersebut sering menekan Mike untuk segera mencari kerja atau silahkan enyah. Tetapi rasa cinta dengan seorang wanita yang cantik belum bisa dibandingkan dengan kuatnya persahabatan, Mike dan Jim. Keduanya dengan cepat terlibat masalah serius ketika menjelajahi jalan-jalan di South Central. Kembali dalam kelamnya kehidupan palsu dalam obat bius, kekerasan dan kejahatan-kejahatan kecil, sama seperti ketika mereka masih muda dulu. (yho/cax)
(http://www.kapanlagi.com/film/internasional/harsh-times-kehidupan-keras-dua-sahabat-lama.html)
PENDAPAT
An intense film, that FEELS a lot like Training Day, but with more of a gritty approach, and with actors who seem actually believable... which makes sense since it's based on the real life experiences of the director/writer and people he knows.
Rodriguez (who was at the World Premiere) and Bale give stellar performances. Rodriguez, if this film is well distributed, will get huge exposure and will likely go far. His performance was incredible, believable, and emotional. Bale continues to show that he's one of the best in Hollywood. Sure, he's playing a slightly psychotic, mentally unstable fellow, similar to a number of previous roles he's played, but he does it so well.
Ayer has improved as a writer, and considering this is his feature film debut as a director, he did fantastically. His knowledge as a director shone through in the Q&A after the film. He also made sure to mention the Cannes labs, where he worked on the script for this film, and how it helped him improve as a writer.
Go see it. It's intense, well written, incredibly performed, and is a thinker of a film. (IMDB)