End of Watch, 2012.
Directed by David Ayer.
Starring Jake Gyllenhaal, Michael Pena, Natalie Martinez, Anna Kendrick, David Harbour, Frank Grillo, Maurice Compte and America Ferrera.
SYNOPSIS:
A pair of Los Angeles cops uncover the workings of a human-trafficking operation and attract the untoward attention of a Mexican Cartel.
The police get a hard time in the movies. Either corrupt scoundrels or militant psychopaths, cinema is mostly bereft of good, honest men fulfilling their duty to protect and serve. In particular, writer and director David Ayer’s oeuvre frequently blurs that thin blue line between cop and criminal on the mean streets of LA – Training Day (2001), Dark Blue (2003) and Street Kings (2008) chiefly centred upon dysfunctional antiheroes and their questionable morality.
Consequently, End of Watch is something of a breath of fresh air, or even a belated apology to those he so frequently scrutinises. Officers Bryan Taylor (Jake Gyllenhaal) and Mike Zavala (Michael Peña) are two upstanding and entirely affable policemen, who do good upon their promise to uphold the law. Much of the film focuses on their routine and sometimes mundane policework, subtly developing their bickering, brotherly relationship. Zavala is the more grounded of the two, married and expecting his first child, whereas ex-marine Taylor is fast-talking and self-aggrandising, slightly too clever for his own good. Both are immensely likeable and completely believable, largely due to a smart (and sweary) script and perfectly naturalistic performances from the two leads. End of Watch is at its best when Ayer seemingly sits back and lets his two heroes spar with each other. Much of the film is shot from dashboard-mounted cameras as the duo make their rounds and debate the inanities of their lives.
Handily, Taylor is taking a module in filmmaking, and documents their lives via multiple cameras, the output of which makes up the film. Both officers sport tiny cameras on their lapels, so at times the action resembles a twisted episode of Peep Show, albeit with more automatic weaponry. More tenuously, the various gangs in their district are also filming themselves on phones and camcorders, weaving a patchwork narrative which gradually reveals a very sinister overarching criminal network, with very grisly consequences.
Admittedly, my knowledge of Los Angeles police procedure is fairly limited, but End of Watch pertains to present the most authentic depiction of police life ever committed to (digital) film. As Zavala deadpans, “Police work is all about comfortable footwear,” yet despite his insistence, it also involves its fair share of white-knuckle car chases and shootouts. Ayer demonstrates a firm grasp of action cinema fundamentals – explosive violence means nothing if the audience doesn’t care about its participants. Happily, Taylor and Zavala’s private lives are as well-rounded as their day jobs, with excellent support from Anna Kendrick and Natalie Martinez as their respective romantic interests. There’s a real sense of the jeopardy which the police must submit themselves to every working day, and you begin to suspect that the partners’ jovial irreverence is their way of coping with the constant peril.
The novel camerawork is largely successful, channelling a nervy, claustrophobic energy when it needs to. A gung-ho rescue attempt in a burning house is a particular highlight – disorienting and terrifying as the screen is swamped in smoke and digital noise. Gunfights frequently revert to a first-person perspective, reminiscent of countless videogames but strikingly effective on the big screen. Less convincing are the interluding sections shot from the gangsters’ viewpoints, who presumably record their assassinations and drive-by shootings for posterity’s sake. At times, Ayer throws in a shot from an impossible angle – even hiring a couple of helicopters – which suggests he’s not quite convinced of his own concept’s strength.
Even so, the emotional jolt of the finale is proof that these inconsistencies don’t really matter. At its heart, End of Watch is a surprisingly tender story of friendship, with the central relationship every bit as authentic as its meticulous study of law enforcement. It’s hardly original, but Ayer’s commitment to his characters and eye for detail ensures that End of Watch earns its place in the pantheon of great police drama.
Flickering Myth Rating – Film: ★ ★ ★ ★ / Movie: ★ ★ ★ ★
Peter Gigg
Originally published March 18, 2013. Updated April 11, 2018.
