END OF WATCH
By Gary “Conclusion of observation” Murray
Starring Jake Gyllenhaal, Michael Pena and Anna Kendrick
Written and directed by David Ayer
Running time 109 min
MPAA Rating R
Selig Film Rating Matinee
When I was a kid, the TV hit Adam 12 was a destination program—a show that everyone watched. It concerned the adventures of two beat cops on the streets of Los Angeles. The show portrayed what it was like to be a regular guy with a badge and a gun on the not so mean streets. Some of the calls were serious and some were funny and all were based on real life reports from the police files. It was a companion piece to Dragnet. Since those romantic days of old, both LA and stories about beat cops have gotten rougher and darker. The latest is End of Watch.
The film starts with the idea—once upon a time in South Central. The story is told in that first-person, camera-in-hand style that has become the rage since Blair Witch. Brian Taylor (Jake Gyllenhaal) is a beat cop taking classes at night to help him move up in the department. One of his classes is film production and we are watching his project. He carries a camera and both he and his partner wear cameras on their lapels.
In the movie world of End of Watch, Brian and his partner Mike Zavala (Michael Pena) work the streets of South Central Los Angeles. It is one of the most dangerous areas on the planet. We soon find that it takes tough men to wrangle the tough streets. They pull no punches when engaging with some of the lower lives that inhabit the ghetto.
The cops have to deal with both drug dealers and gang wars. Where our guys have handguns, the bad guys have automatic weapons. The black gangs see that the Mexican gangs are taking over the streets and the illegal profits that flow with drug dealing. The two groups are at odds with each other. Our good guys are outgunned and outmanned, still overwhelmed. Even a simple car chase becomes a dangerous shoot-out situation.
The film also shows the men and their personal lives. Mike is married to Gabby (Natalie Martinez), the only woman he has ever loved. They have a little girl. Brian at the beginning of the film is single but soon meets Janet (Anna Kendrick). The young couple is instantly smitten by each other and soon wedding bells are happening between the two. The film is how these two men bond and how simple police work lead to a major drug cartel.
Even though it is newly popular as a cinematic tool, the first-person hand-held camera is much more of an irritation than a way to be drawn into the story. By trying to make one feel ‘in the moment’ director David Ayer loses movement of dramatic tension. The writer/director delivers a taunt thrill ride but takes the audience out of the story on more than one occasion. Parts of the film feel like gritty cop dramas while other episodes feel more like out-takes from Reno 911.
The performances save this film from being a standard police cop/buddy action flick. Jake Gyllenhaal is almost on fire every moment he is on camera. There is this gung-ho attitude that draws one to the screen. He is a lean, mean fighting machine on the urban landscape. We see him working hard and playing even harder. During the course of the film Brian becomes our joker, pulling pranks in this volatile world.
The real find of End of Watch is Michael Pena. The young actor has been around for a few years but this role should put him on the short list of new Hollywood stars. He delivers this grunt cop with a level of compassion seldom seen in the realm of action/adventure. The scenes between the two men are a bonding experience more akin to Band of Brothers style war footage than two guys just trying to earn a paycheck.
Anna Kendrick and Natalie Martinez are given secondary and lesser roles in End of Watch. While both are fine performers, they are truly secondary thoughts in the world of this movie. The film drives with a full tank of testosterone with little need for frills.
End of Watch is another in a very long line of cop-driven entertainments. It is better than 90% of what is shown on television, it still feels like something seen on the small screen and not a major motion picture. It is engaging just not ground breaking.
