Jim (Bale) is a haunted Gulf War veteran living in idyllic Mexican isolation with his girlfriend (Trull). He heads to Los Angeles for a job interview with the LAPD, collecting his childhood buddy Mike (Rodriguez), who's also looking for work. But they tear up the town instead, making one dumb decision after another involving drugs, guns and women. Even so, fortune smiles on them, and they take a road trip to Mexico to celebrate. Mike's wife (Longoria) is not happy. And their luck may be about to run out.

There's a sharp edge of attitude and humour in the script that keeps us riveted, especially since it's so brilliantly played by Bale, Rodriguez and the remarkably strong supporting cast. The male characters are all deeply unsympathetic, and the actors dive in completely, never hedging their characters or moralising about them (the plot takes care of that). Bale is especially good as the meathead Jim, who simply can't control his mercurial temper. Rodriguez and Longoria have fiery chemistry between them, and are both excellent in their edgy roles.

Where the film stumbles is in its predictably overwrought tone; Ayers seems to be trying far too hard to jolt us. When Jim has his episodes of psychotic scariness, it's a little too freaky for words, and as the situation gets increasingly precarious and violent, the film starts to feel interminable. Fortunately, the acting just gets more intriguing and enlightening, forcefully examining how life hangs on a knife-edge of difficult choices.

At the end we feel a little like we've been beaten senseless by an unsubtle filmmaker. Some of the dialog is rather clunky, as are references to big issues like corporate greed and governmental subterfuge. But it's an especially gripping experience--painful to watch dumb people do such stupid things and provocative to think about the real difficulty of choosing between our happiness and our career, between who we are and what we do.

themes, strong language, violence, drugs

23.Jan.06