MovieChat Forums > Harsh Times (2006) Discussion > What caused Jim to be the way he was?

What caused Jim to be the way he was?

posted 15 years ago by CaliManDan35
10 replies | jump to latest

Why do you think Jim was the way he was in this movie? I mean, he obviously had some deep mental issues. He was over the top. He was crazy. He was aggressive. He would snap in a second. Does the movie ever tell you what made him be like this? Was it the military? I know the first few minutes of the movie are a flashback to him in the military and then later on in the movie his friend says something like "dude Jim you are psycho, you need to sue the military or something" So was that the movie's implication that Jim was crazy because he was messed up from being in the military? Or was it another reason?

[–] FactUnderChecK 15 years ago

there is an interesting thread already you may be interested in, its called david ayer misunderstands his own character. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0433387/board/thread/140739874

haha you only need to read my posts, theyr the best :P

[–] vauxxuv 15 years ago

i would say it was a combination of things. like being raised in a tough enviroment, exposure to war and the mixing of drugs and alcohol to cope, made him that way.

jim shouldve checked himself into the nuthouse. so that he could get the help needed in managing his emotions.

[–] lisaatucla 15 years ago

the effects of war, imo. How war changes people, not just in Iraq but in all wars.

Just talked to a friend who served in the navy. She said many are depressed or have issues but would be embarrassed to get help. Suicide rates up, etc.

[–] bthr 15 years ago

military service in certain missions for a long period of time may cause some kinds of phobias or other psychiatric issues.

Mike said to Jim that he was cool before he joined the military and he became different.

[–] CaliManDan35 15 years ago

Yea but the military was not the only reason he was the way he was. He obviously was a little crazy even before the military.

If you remember, the friend they meet up with (I forgot his name) he has his hair in like dreads or something and they take him to Mexico...when Jim, Mike and that other friend are sitting in his apartment...he asks Jim what's going on and Jim says he is going to be a Fed (federal agent).

And that guy responds with "The craziest head I know is going to be a Fed"

Now that was the first time Jim had seen that guy since getting back from the military...so obviously that means Jim was already a "crazy head" before ever going.

[–] Esmacious 15 years ago

Now that was the first time Jim had seen that guy since getting back from the military...so obviously that means Jim was already a "crazy head" before ever going.

No, he's joking there. Later on, the same guy asks Jim what's happened to him because he "used to be so mellow". He's genuinely bewildered that his friend has turned into someone he hardly recognises.

I'm sure Jim was a bit wild before joining the military, in a standard teenage kind of way, but you can see from the funny looks Mike gives him throughout the movie that he isn't behaving the way Mike's expecting him to.

[–] CaliManDan35 15 years ago

I disagree. I do remember when he said you used to be so mellow. I took that as "you used to be MORE mellow and predictable" as opposed to now being completely out of control and unpredictable. When he said "the craziest head I know is going to be a Fed" he geuninely meant Jim was the craziest person he knew.

[–] Esmacious 15 years ago

When he and Mike first go round to that guy's apartment, they are totally relaxed and joking around. By the time that guy leaves them in the car later on, he's plainly freaked out by Jim's behaviour, just like we keep on seeing with Mike throughout.

I took all that as a clear indication that the Jim we're seeing isn't the same guy they remember from when they were all growing up. Jim might have got into a bit of trouble (hence the "crazy head" comment and Sylvia's attitude to him) but he wasn't a nutter.

We also get a lot of references to his experiences in the military, particularly the photos he gets shown by the black ops people and his nightmare at the start of the movie. I think this is the director saying these are the experiences that made Jim the way he is now, unable to function in society. He's drawn back to the military because that's the only way he can function but at the same time he's terrified at the prospect of going back to it because he's so traumatised.

The final act of the movie is basically him on a suicide mission - there's no other way out for him.

[–] CaliManDan35 15 years ago

I agree with most of what you said in that last post. I still think his friend was being genuine when he made the comment "the craziest head I know" that doesn't mean Jim was a complete nutcase back then, it just means out of all the close friends that guy had, Jim was probably the craziest or had the propensity to BE the craziest.

[–] FactUnderChecK 15 years ago

Jim suffers from a condition called mania. end of. =P no, there are so many ways you could take it. im 95% bale was acting mania (so well). his condition aggrivated from the army or possibly developed the condition in the army. i dont think many people develope it when they are adult though. so he had probly already been a little bit crazy but having the messed up things he did in the army ontop of that..
or maybe hes another army guy who could not adapt back into society.

also, i agree with caliman. i think it was suggested jim had always been a bad influence on mike (at least). and considered to be a little crazy by those that knew him.