The Red Right Hand
  www.theredrighthand.co.uk





HARSH TIMES
 Take A Ride To The Edge

Director
David Ayer
Starring
Christian Bale
Freddy Rodriguez
Eva Longoria
JK Simmons

David Ayer loves Los Angeles, this much is clear now. The majority of his previous screenplays have been set there, generally focusing on the criminal underworld (Fast & The Furious, Training Day, Dark Blue, SWAT). Having seen how other directors have adapted his work he's finally decided to take it upon himself to write and direct a deep poignant piece that reflects his thoughts and opinions on modern America, the military and crime in South Central LA - or so he thinks. You can see from the way it's written that Ayer believes he's hitting so many deep psychologically profound notes with his misfit characters but no matter how stylised the cinematography is nor how well the parts are acted out, the overall plot lets the whole thing down completely. The film opens in Afghanistan; as James David [Bale] sits in a trench smoking a cigarette he thinks back on the attack that happened not a few hours before, the men he had to kill and the way in which it was necessary to do so. All of a sudden he wakes up to find himself in his car, parked outside a small shanty shack in Mexico. Upon entering the house, he greets his girlfriend affectionately and shakily tells her he's been having nightmares. Having carried her out to his car, he explains he must leave but that he will come back for her and bring her across the border. This opening is all well and good, no problems here; Christian Bale plays the disconnected marine type perfectly... until he crosses the border. In the US he's not the recently discharged James David, he's Jimmy Boy, homeboy, dawg and other delightful south-side sobriquet.

Jim meets up with his best friend, Mike [Rodriguez] - whom I only know from a couple of episodes of Scrubs and his upcoming film roles - and his girlfriend Sylvia [Longoria]. Mike's currently unemployed and looking to put his life back together by getting a job, having endured a lot of shoving from Sylvia; Jim gladly agrees to help Mike deliver CVs - where 'deliver' read 'dispose of and loaf around all day getting wasted.' It's difficult to see what Ayer's getting at in this film. The characters are written in such a way that it's almost impossible to like or even understand half of them. Mike supposedly loves his significant other (to the extent that he has a large tattoo of her face on his right arm) but can't stop lying to her or resist the temptation to cheat on her. On the other hand, Sylvia stays with Mike because she owes him (he supported her during her younger years), loves him and wants to make sure he doesn't want to get in trouble or killed because of Jim at the same time as being bossy, possessive and controlling.

A few other characters pop up and add their own end - not that I could understand half of what they were saying - it's not a case of being a boring old fart (which I am) it's the fact that Jim seamlessly interchanges between these worlds and it's difficult keeping up - but the story mostly focuses on Mike and Jim buggering about all day, ripping off Mexicans, trying to get laid and intoxicating themselves. By the time something of interest happens to the characters (about 98 minutes through) you hate them too much to care. Three major elements seem to present themselves throughout the duration of the plot, taking the form of place. There's LA, Jim's stomping ground, a cess-pool of crime and corruption; the military/federal lifestyle he is striving for, a world of suits and salutes; and Mexico, where Jim feels at ease, comfortable and safe - of course, none of these worlds can shift together so he must choose one of them, choose one particular lifestyle to lead and follow. The story is a little bitty and jumps from incident-to-incident in a similar fashion to Training Day but without the rewarding spin pay-off at the end. I could try and explain the intricate details of the plot but it could easily be summarised to 'larking about.' Training Day is a fantastic piece that I think highly of but with both Dark Blue & SWAT being so mediocre and this offering too jaded to relate to, David Ayer's good name is being hauled through the dregs.

Release Date:
UK - 18th August 2006
USA - 8th September 2006

The Scene To Look Out For:
Multiple scenes actually. Mike & Jim spend a considerable amount of time trying to sell a gun that they've stolen and every time one of the characters pick it up, they turn it on it's side, proclaim that they need it and generally act like a child with a toy. I mostly like them because it shows the immaturity of gangsters when it comes to guns

Notable Characters:
Character... hmm; difficult. I didn't like any of the characters. I'm going to go with Bale, he's a fantastic character actor and can portray almost any role thrown his way (I bet he'll be cast for a Sound Of Music remake.... as Maria)

Highlighted Quote:
"You broke the homie code!"

In A Few Words:
"Breath-taking performances let down by a confused, frustrated plot and generally pointless on-screen disarray - just go rent a post Vietnam film"

Total Score:
5/10


Matthew Stogdon