At the Theater - End Of Watch - Although this film has a few notable flaws (most movies do), this might just be the best "Uniformed Officers on Patrol" buddy movie ever made (for the record, Riggs and Murtaugh were plain-clothed...). The natural dialogue and undeniable, brotherly chemistry between leads Jake Gyllenhaal and Michael Pena (Crash) powers the film. Pena should garner quite a bit of talk come Oscar time and deservedly so. It's about as funny, tense, involving and altogether entertaining as a smaller-budgeted Drama/Thriller could be.
I'll comfortably say that End Of Watch is Writer/Director David Ayer's (Training Day, Harsh Times, Street Kings, Dark Blue and SWAT) most complete effort to date- shot entirely in Los Angeles, it's obvious that the filmmaker (who grew up there) is familiar with the city's rougher element. The majority of the movie covers the daily lives of two police officers, on and off duty, and Ayer does an excellent job of showcasing the daily drama, conflict and outright horrors involved with policing such a crime infested area. The trailers for the film, which were somewhat misleading, established that the two officers featured therein stumble upon something which makes them marked men by a powerful Mexican Cartel- that particular plot turn doesn't really come into play until the final 20 minutes or so of the film.
Jake Gyllenhaal and Michael Pena are gold while onscreen together- I actually felt that I was watching some kind of reality travel-log featuring lifelong friends. The give-and-take performances between the two rank up there with the best of them. Although Gyllenhaal is very good, and does nothing but solidify his growing status as a leading man, Michael Pena seems more comfortable and far more likable without becoming the cartoonish, wise-cracking sidekick- It's really one of the better performances from a Latino actor in film history. You actually care about these guys- that's quite an accomplishment given the overall lack of foundation, depth and layers given to most of today's leading characters in films of this nature and genre.
Anna Kendrick (Up In The Air) and Natalie Martinez (Death Race) portray the love interests of the two Officers- Kendrick is given more screen time and does the most with it to provide one of the actress's more personal performances, while Martinez is very good- there's far more to her here than the obligatory eye candy roles I've seen from her in the past.
Frank Grillo (Warrior) plays the understanding "Sarge" while David Harbour (The Green Hornet) is the burn-out, "Van-Hauser." America Ferrerra (ABC's Ugly Betty) and Cody Horn (Magic Mike) make a few appearances as fellow patrol officers- I have a strange feeling we may see them featured in a spin-off or sequel of sorts...
Complaints- I'm certain that the plot and filming gimmick of a patrol officer carrying a handheld camera around on a disturbance call would never fly- it's dangerous (I would want a free hand in a life-or-death situation, especially with my weapon drawn) and wholly unnecessary as far as the structure and story is concerned. The vast majority of the film is from a third-person perspective- so what function does the "cop with a camera" footage really serve here? All of the inherent dangers of the officer's exploits are well served without the "found footage" gimmick that Hollywood seems so infatuated with at the moment.
An opening shootout feels a bit too quick and staged for my tastes- I've never seen dash-cam evidence of Police officers calmly walking directly into fully automatic gunfire when there's perfectly suitable cover about. I also wasn't buying the segment when one of the two officers removes his badge and weapon in a perpetrator's house and enters into an "off the books" fist fight. I've listed the issues above because I believe they are ignorant and highly unrealistic lapses in a otherwise well-written and structured film.
Check it out for the performances of Gyllenhaal and Pena- those who are interested in the general subject matter should find plenty to appreciate. It's one of the better films of the year.
Rated R for violence, profanity and gore
8.5 out of 10
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