Film Review: End Of Watch

Writer /director/producer David Ayer has made his name in the industry by delivering edgey tales of crime and acute police drama in LA streets. He has been responsible for the scripts of films like Training Day, Dark Blue, S.W.A.T. and even The Fast and the Furious –  which looked into the LA underworld of street racing. His latest film "End Of Watch" continues this fast and furious genre as it transports us into the world of LAPD officers who patrol the gangland war zone that is South Central Los Angeles. Officer Brian Taylor (Jake Gyllenhaal) is documenting the life of a cop on film for a college course, so he guides us on this journey with his partner, officer Mike Zavala (Michael Peña).

 

As longtime friends and partners, Mike and Brian have faced the worst of South Central LA without fear. However, it's not long before they get on the trail of a notorious Mexican cartel, and before long, find themselves in the spiderweb of the city’s worst criminals, turning an already threatening job into a dangerous life or death battle on the streets.

 

Both Gylenhall and Peña are superb, getting right into Ayer’s groove. So by the time we reach the harsh climax, we really know and care about these guys. As a result, we’re far more devoted to their fates than we would usually be.

 

Natalie Martinez (Death Race) and Anna Kendrick (Up in the Air) play the ladies behind Mike and Brian. Kendrick brings her usual dainty appeal, but it is actually Martinez who manages to steal many of the scenes she is in right out from under the other actors.

 

Supporting cop characters are played by Frank Grillo (The Grey) and David Harbour (The Newsroom) and are joined by two ‘tougher-than-the-boys,’ trash-talking lady cops played by Cody Horn (Magic Mike) and America Ferrera (Ugly Betty).

 

Even though "End of Watch" is marketed as an action/thriller, it's more of a gradual character piece about two best friends living in a dangerous world. I don't mean the movie is not captivating or exciting though, because it often is. 

 

It is definitely the performances of the lead actors which makes this movie. Gyllenhaal and Peña are both capable leading men in their own right, but together, their onscreen chemistry is infectious. Much of the film rests on Brian and Mike out on patrol and swapping dude-talk, so "End of Watch" could easily have been a bore. However, through a combination of Gyllenhaal’s usual 'adorable but entangled guy’ likability and Peña’s already proven comedic timing and sensibility, this results in us caring about these two men – and therefore, making us genuinely worry about them when put in harm’s way.