You Think That's Harsh

I recently saw Harsh Times, a (poorly titled) film that's already flopped.

It's a tour de force for Christian Bale, who stars as Jim, a former Army Ranger whose life is messed up. He's trying to pull himself together, but the plot is mostly him and his friend Mike driving around LA and Mexico, screwing up their lives. It's written and directed by David Ayer, who wrote the similarly-themed Training Day.

It's certainly not boring, that's for sure. Lots of violence. But one thing ultimately ruins it. Jim's wounds are pretty much all self-inflicted. There aren't that many obstacles he couldn't overcome if he'd just stop acting like a jerk.

Dramatic characters should have an inner life, but if their problems are all interior, after a while you just want to slap them.