End of Watch |
Shot documentary-style, this film follows the daily grind of two young
police officers in LA who are partners and friends, and what happens
when they meet criminal forces greater than themselves.
Director:
David AyerWriter:
David AyerStars:
Jake Gyllenhaal, Michael Peña, Anna Kendrick | See full cast and crew »Storyline
In South Central Los Angeles, street cops Brian and Mike are partners -
balls-out cowboys patrolling the streets as Latino gangs are in a power
struggle with Blacks. Brian and Mike get lucky a couple of times, making
big drug and human-trafficking busts, so a Mexican cartel orders their
deaths. We meet Mike's pregnant wife (whom he married out of high
school) and watch Brian's search for a soul mate. There are internal
squabbles within the ranks of the LAPD and lots of squad-car
conversation. Can the lads escape the cartel's murderous reach?
Written by
<jhailey@hotmail.com>
The Movie User Reviews
Found footage's finest so far - an intense cop thriller that feels real
If I were to pitch you a
movie about two police officers who are partners on patrol in South
Central Los Angeles, one of your first inclinations might be "not
another buddy copy comedy." While "End of Watch" is often funny, the
newest film from "Training Day" writer David Ayer, is no comedy.
Ayer,
who spent a lot of time in South Central, takes the found footage
approach to his latest film featuring the LAPD in the spirit of modern
trends and perhaps the show "Cops."
It's hard to tell if Ayer's
exaggerating, but a lot of dangerous stuff happens to Taylor (Jake
Gyllenhaal) and Zavala (Michael Pena) despite being beat cops. So much
so that they get involved with the wrong Mexican gang, and their
attempts to go above and beyond to protect and serve put them in the
line of fire.
Gyllenhaal and Pena have incredible chemistry as
two cops who are best friends as well as partners. They epitomize the
modern "bromance" in a number of ways, joking around, giving each other a
hard time, offering love/dating advice with hyper-masculine sarcasm,
etc. Ayer takes time to show these men out of their blues frequently to
humanize them in a critical way. On the job, they are often cocky, proud
and reckless, pushing the line of appropriate police behavior and
protocol. They jump back and forth between making laudable, responsible
choices and borderline police brutality.
The portrait that this
paints of law enforcement feels so much more authentic than we're
normally treated to in cop films and police procedurals on television.
They are heroes and good, honorable men, but that doesn't make them
beacons of morality. No matter how much you believe in the quickly
escalating plot of "End of Watch," there's no disagreement to be had
over the authenticity of the characters and the environment they operate
in.
Although we do get independent "episodes" in which Taylor
and Zavala respond to calls and find more than they bargained for,
there's a through-line involving a powerful Mexican drug cartel and the
gang that enforces it. Ayer glamorizes these thugs a little bit, but it
makes them formidable villains in the story. As things come to a boil,
the realism of the film really unravels in favor of a more compelling,
heart-pounding finale.
Ayer takes certain liberties with the
found footage style as well. The premise involves Taylor filming
everything for a school project or something. He has a hand-held camera
but also cameras positioned in the squad car, and ones that clip onto
their uniforms. The gangs also carry cameras around to film their
violent escapades. At times, however, we can't tell who is supposed to
be holding the camera — like when Taylor starts making out with his
girlfriend, Janet (Anna Kendrick). Neither is holding the camera, so
that's a bit strange.
Still, that filmmaking style does more good
than harm to the film. Say what you will about the found footage trend,
but this is an appropriate example that really works. The extra layer
of realism and authenticity that the technique gives to a film really
goes miles in favor of "End of Watch."
Humor is an unexpected
benefit of this film as well. Michael Pena has failed to be funny in
films including "Tower Heist" and "30 Minutes or Less," but he succeeds
in territory that blends it with the dramatic in this very organic way.
It would be impressive if most of the dialogue in this film, at least
between him and Gyllenhaal, weren't improvised given how natural it
flows.
It sounds like a stretch to consider this one of the
better acted films of the year, but Gyllenhaal and Pena should've been
considered for awards contention. The nature of found footage detracts
from what we tend to associate with/look for in an Oscar-worthy
performance. We expect authenticity from found footage and only comment
when it goes poorly, not when it's done exceptionally well. Having seen
enough films made in the found footage style, no other two actors have
done better in this genre.
"End of Watch" offers an intense look
at the life of L.A.'s finest and a harrowing portrait of life in the
barrios and gang-ridden parts of L.A. Although exaggerated at crucial
points, it shows what can happen when officers try and step out of their
clearance level. At the least, it's one of the best films found footage
has given us to date.