Review: End of Watch

Review: End of Watch

Let's be honest, the whole "found footage" storytelling is becoming a tired affair. Generic horror flicks like

Paranormal Activity have made cheesy what used to be a very exciting method of film-making, and audiences as a whole are becoming sick of the narrative device invading almost every genre of movie.

Enter End of Watch.

By not making the camcorder the focus of the film, director David Ayer, whose previous work includes the very unsympathetic Training Day, ensures that the superb performances from Jake Gyllenhaal and Michael Pena take centre stage in what can only be described as both a love letter to the police force and the best cop/crime movie of recent years. 

End of Watch - which takes its name from the phrase coined by the LAPD as they sign off their shifts - follows the story of Brian (Gyllenhaal) and Mike (Pena), two cops situated in South Central Los Angeles, a place where gangs, drug lords and prostitution rule the streets. Hot on the tails of one gang in particular, the two cops find themselves in deep water when they are targeted by the cartel and we watch as the partners cope with their increasingly dangerous patrols.

Sure, the combo of Gyllenhaal's wise-cracking, cocky, over-confident Brian paired up with Pena's hesitant, sensitive and by-the-book Mike seems like something lifted straight from the book of movie stereotypes, but the chemistry between the two leads could not be more natural. Gyllenhaal offers a career-defining performance, proving that the increasingly diverse actor has clearly gone from strength to strength since his Donnie Darko days (we do not discuss Prince of Persia under any circumstances). His commitment to the role (participating in ride alongs with real police officers for 12 hours a day) is incredibly evident, and his no-nonsense attitude to the criminals infecting his streets hits the screen hard. Pena, however, refuses to be overshadowed and the actor throws himself into the role of Mike with such macho gusto it's hard to believe he didn't used to be in the force himself. Some very able support also comes from Ugly Betty's America Ferrera and rising star Anna Kendrick, who proves herself very capable of breaking out from the potentially career-destroying chains of The Twilight Saga.

Don't worry, though - this isn't a simple buddy movie. This is a full on account of war on the streets. From the intense opening skirmish with a local drug dealer all the way to the film's heart pounding climax which sees our heroes cornered by the cartel, End of Watch is a relentless, pulsing thrill ride. There are short breaks to address the changes in the partners' lives, such as Brian's marriage and Mike's newborn child, but David Ayer knows as much as we do that filthy streets like these don't rest for anyone.

Yet this makes it all the more frustrating when it comes to the camcorder aspect. For a short while at the start of the movie, End of Watch takes the form of Brian's personal log in which he records his day to day life in the force as an experiment for himself. Later, however, this is completely ditched and there is no explanation as to what happened to the tape, why Brian is no longer filming and who is holding the camera now. The inconsistency with the narrative's format is the film's let down; as is the severe case of over-acting by the antagonists. Sure, this is supposed to be a true to life account of law enforcement, but the cartel are a bore to watch as we occasionally witness events from their perspective. The performances are incredibly forced and often severely over the top, a factor which doesn't help a film so grounded in reality.

That doesn't stop End of Watch from being a joy to experience, however, and fine acting from the lead roles help to anchor us down in to what could have been a very alienating movie.

Summary

Once you get past the inconsistent narrative technique, End of Watch is nothing short of a triumph both for the cop movie genre and for the lead actors. Jake Gyllenhaal is Oscar-worthy as Brian, and the relatively unknown Michael Pena has just ensured mainstream success as Mike; both actors gives performances that are true to life and fully committed, while director David Ayer ensures that there is more than enough action and suspense to keep the movie ticking over nicely. Yet what's surprising about End of Watch is that a director whose previous films represented a tarnished view of the police force could be equally as sentimental and appreciative towards the same demographic.

Thrilling, absorbing and downright ballsy, End of Watch is simply the best cop movie of the last ten years and one of the best action movies of 2012.

8/10 - Great

See it if you liked: Public Enemies (2009), Crash (2004), Lethal Weapon (1987)