¨If you run away
I will chase you. If you fight me I will fight back. If you shoot at me I will
shoot back. By law I am unable to walk away. Behind my badge is a heart like
yours. I bleed, I think, I love, and yes I can be killed.¨
Before End of Watch filmgoers probably knew David Ayer for having
written the beautiful screenplay for Training Day (memorable for Denzel
Washington`s performance), but now he will be remembered for his direction in
this excellent cop thriller starring Jake Gyllenhaal and Michael Peña. I was
completely hooked with this film from the very beginning with the opening scene
up to the very last shot. David Ayer had directed some other thrillers in the
past (Harsh Times and Street Kings), but none as gripping as this one. End of
Watch pays homage to police officers around the world. Many people have
complained that this is cop propaganda, but I believe it really is a tribute to
the honest and hard working officers in the police department. Many films,
including Ayer`s Training Day, have depicted police officers as corrupt, but
End of Watch pays a special tribute to those officers who have put their lives
on the line. These cops deserved a film like this, and in my opinion it is one
of the best police thrillers I`ve seen in a long time. The screenplay was also
written by David Ayer, and the movie was filmed in a documentary style as we had
the main characters filming ¨home footage¨ while on duty. This may displease
some viewers due to the camera movements and such, but I thought it worked well
here and gave it a more realistic vibe. David Ayer knows his material and
really came up with a believable script. He was helped by the excellent
performance from the entire cast as well.
Brian Taylor (Jake Gyllenhaal) and Mike Zavala (Michael Peña) are
partners working for the LAPD in the dangerous streets ruled by gangs and drug
cartels. They are also best friends and spend all day talking about their
families and such in between chases and gun shootings while they patrol the
streets. Mike is married to Gabby (Natalie Martinez) who is expecting their
first child, while Brian has begun dating a very intelligent girl named Janet
(Anna Kendrick) with whom he`s falling for. As the two men discuss their daily
lives and play jokes on other officers they also get the job done. They are so
good at what they do that a dangerous drug cartel marks them for death after
they confiscated some of their money and firearms. Brian and Mike continue with
their lives as usual while saving children from a burning house and fighting
criminals in the street without feeling like heroes. Frank Grillo plays the
Sarge, and America Ferrera and David Harbour two other officers in the
department.
The chemistry between Michael Peña and Jake Gyllenhaal in this film is
what really makes this film stand out from the rest. We´ve seen many similar
films dealing with these issues, but none feel as real as this movie did.
Thanks to the performance from the cast and the well written screenplay the
movie feels authentic. Peña and Gyllenhaal could even receive nominations for
their performance. That is how good they are here. Anna Kendrick is such a
talented actress, I don’t think she gets the recognition she deserves. She is
great here in her supporting role and is always a delight to watch on screen.
The performance from each of the members of the gang was also incredible, this
is as real and authentic as they`ve ever been depicted. The film combines great
action scenes with a lot of laughs and dramatic moments; it is a very emotional
ride and director David Ayer does a great job at managing this. I will be on
the lookout for his next film because I was really impressed with his work
here. Definitely one of the top ten films of the year: It is authentic and
bloody.
Both actors are unique -- it may be the most shading and far-ranging drama Gyllenhaal has ever given --
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Totally agree! Gyllenhaal was excellent as well. Probably his best film!
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