Film Review: Harsh times

David Ayer's Harsh Times tries so hard to be good it collapses in a pile of tired slang and over-dramatic narrative. Training Day scriptwriter Ayer makes his directorial debut in what seems to be a Latino-tinted remake of the Oscar-winning cop drama. Unfortunately for Ayer, his vision does not match up to that of Training Day director Antoine Fuqua, creating a film that offers little more than solid visuals and decent acting.

Harsh Times stars a trim Christian Bale (Batman Begins) as semi-psychotic ex-Army Ranger Jim Davis. The honorably discharged soldier seeks a job in law enforcement, but quickly falls back into the dirt of the streets. As Training Day, the corrupt enforcer is accompanied by a well-meaning sidekick, substituting Freddy Rodriguez for Ethan Hawke as Davis' boyhood pal Mike Alonzo.

Davis keeps Alonzo distracted from his own job search, much to the chagrin of Alonzo's wife Sylvia (Eva Longoria). As Davis goes deeper into the world of drugs, violence and crime, he predictably becomes unhinged and predictably drags his best friend toward a predictably harrowing conclusion.

Bale gives an impressive performance equal to his portrayals in American Psycho and The Machinist, but his abilities are constrained by the limits of a weak script. Ayer's writing also keeps Rodriguez's Alonzo bouncing between placating Jim and obeying Sylvia, restraining him from developing and placing him squarely in the pushover column.

The "homeboy" vernacular heavily garnishing the film becomes grating and eventually insulting as the movie progresses. Forced dialogue feels distant from the actors reciting it, like a stage production of Ice Cube's Barbershop by the prep-squad at Phillips Exeter.

The film's raw cinematography, a la every other urban drama, can be counted in the pro column, but it does not override the substance-or lack thereof-beneath the surface. Harsh Times's self-destructive theme tries to shine a light on inhumanity and give hope for redemption, but the lack of vision ultimately leaves the audience depressed and disappointed.