Director/Writer:
David Ayer
Starring: Jake
Gyllenhaal, Michael Peña, Natalie Martinez, Anna Kendrick, David Harbour, Frank Grillo,
America Ferrera
Plot: After
suspecting one civilian of drug-running, officers Brian (Gyllenhaal) and Mike (Peña)
pull over the possible criminal only to find themselves arresting a member of a
dangerous drug cartel whose associates will stop at nothing to kill them.
After writing the Academy
Award-winning Training Day, David
Ayer seemed like a promising and powerful new voice in Hollywood. His next few
films that included Harsh Times and Street Kings capitalised on his
knowledge of L.A. crime and the police but both were quite dull movies. After a
four-year hiatus he is back with End of
Watch and once more proving his skills when it comes to examining the
relationship between police partners and the dangerous work that is required of
them. Ayer’s new release focuses (yet again) on a white and Hispanic police duo
whose close bond and lives are forever jeopardised by the hostile environment
of a crime-ridden South Central L.A.
Harsh Times’ biggest error was placing too much emphasis on the
cultural clash between Christian Bale and Freddy Rodriguez as well as centering
much of the film on the extremely unlikeable Bale character. End of Watch is far more removed from
that agenda yet still maintains the gritty and tough aesthetic that elevates
tension and drama. Jake Gyllenhaal’s Brian and Michael Peña’s
Mike are habitually joking around about their altering ethnicities (without
tediously pontificating on the subject) and never fall under the category of
unlikeable. On the contrary, what makes End
of Watch so engaging is the pair’s clear chemistry, affability and
believable evolution through the film. Ayer’s script is either incredibly taut
and authentic or Gyllenhaal and Peña’s improvisation is expert – in
whichever case, the dialogue always seems natural.
The level of realism is
additionally brought forth with the hand-held camera work advocated perhaps
superfluously. Brian is supposedly working on a project which, for exposition’s
sake, means he carries a camera around with him almost constantly, along with
two small ones clipped on to his and Mike’s uniforms. These particular set of viewpoints
do not appear distracting to begin with and it’s only when Ayer adds a barrage
of various other shot types to set up a scene that the film’s design becomes
questionable. What stigmatises it completely is the rival, villainous drug
cartel also recording their day-to-day lives, which includes confidential
discussions of all their drive-bys and executions, along with footage of the
events themselves. Ayer’s idea to see both sides from the perspective of
home-video cameras is frankly messy once the criminal’s document everything and
anything that could easily get them imprisoned.
The depiction of the villains is
not as enthralling as Ayer may have hoped (though the two main criminals are
incredibly repulsive and malignant to an effective degree) though it sets up an
array of nail-biting scenes. The notion that danger lurks around every corner
is exemplified throughout the scenes on the streets as Brian and Mike get
themselves into horribly perilous situations, all pinned with the thought that
the cartel are waiting all around. These sequences are where the buttoned
cameras are acceptable – worryingly close to the action and bringing tremendous
atmosphere to the scene in which they're used.
As a film it boasts some
fantastic performances, an impressive script and striking visuals. It never
fails to entertain and, if anything, it runs too short. The arresting (no pun
intended) portrayal of Brian and Mike from Gyllenhaal and Peña
that drives End of Watch is a
refreshing and captivating spin on the “buddy cop” relationship; one would hope
the two act together again in the future as you honestly can’t get enough of
their charisma. All in all, one of the best cop dramas/thrillers to come out in recent years and one that deserves a huge audience.
****
By Piers McCarthy. Also posted on LiveForFilms
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