91Èȱ¬

Christian Bale cuts loose in Harsh Times, an adrenalised urban drama that crosses Taxi Driver with Training Day. The latter was scripted by David Ayer, making his directorial debut with this tale of an unstable Iraq War vet who's back on civvy street and looking for kicks. It's a plum part that Bale throws himself into with crazed conviction. So much so that it's sometimes easy to forget that this is the story of two men, the other being the less loco Freddy Rodríguez.

Essentially Ethan Hawke to Bale's Denzel Washington, Rodriguez plays Mike, a nice but dim guy who's all too easily led astray by his childhood chum Jim. Instead of finding work, the pair find trouble, not to mention a 9mm gun belonging to some Mexican gangbangers. The pals' efforts to offload the piece form one plot strand; another involves the Department of 91Èȱ¬land Security taking an interest in Jim's battle-honed abilities.

"EVENTUALLY MAKES A QUEASY KIND OF SENSE"

Don't be too misled by the title; for all the anger and alienation it deals in, Harsh Times often feels like a black comedy. There are guilty thrills to be had watching Bale behave badly. Well, for the first two-thirds, anyway. After that, things become unbalanced in every sense. The road to self-destruction seems to stretch on for miles while, just like Training Day, resolution hinges on a handy coincidence. Still, if Ayer has trouble writing for women - Eva Longoria is shortchanged as Mike's lawyer girlfriend - he certainly does right by the fellas, allowing Bale to clock up some of his best work this side of American Psycho and The Machinist.