End of Watch Movie Review (Spoiler Free)

What do you get when you turn a police drama into a documentary-style action thrill-ride à la Cops, cast two relatively well-known Hollywood actors, and set the whole thing in L.A.? A pretty fantastic movie!

Genre: Action / Crime / Drama / Thriller 

Director: David Ayer

Cast: Jake Gyllenhaal, Michael Peña, Natalie Martinez, Anna Kendrick, David Harbour, Frank Grillo, Cle Sloan, America Ferrera, Richard Cabral & Shondrella Avery.

Run Time: 108 min.

US Release: 21 September 2012

UK Release: 23 November 2012

German Release: 20 December 2012

Jake Gyllenhaal and Michael Peña star in David Ayer’s handheld camera masterpiece of 2012. I watched this movie a couple of weeks ago at a friend’s house because he kept recommending it, but I wasn’t really hooked by the plot, which was the main reason I didn’t go see it at the cinema when it came out. That, and back then I wasn’t really impressed by Gyllenhaal -  but boy, was I wrong!

The plot is pretty simple: two police officers (who are partners) get the idea to make a documentary of their daily life on the streets and start filming their every move. Through those cameras, we witness their friendship, love life, and an ongoing power struggle between gangs in the city of Los Angeles.

The plot doesn’t make the movie sound like it might be groundbreaking, right? That’s what I thought when I first looked it up on IMDb. Gyllenhaal and Peña give extremely good performances, and Ayer’s direction turns it into one of the best cop-drama procedurals I’ve seen in a long time. Honest to God, the last amazing police movie I saw must have been L.A. Confidential (1997). End of Watch has a great story, the visuals are strong, and the building of tension is perfect. There is little to nothing I can critique about this film.

The chemistry between Jake Gyllenhaal and Michael Peña is fantastic. Both do terrific jobs as the cop buddies Brian Taylor and Mike Zavala, and through their performances, I truly came to believe that I was watching a documentary. Everything in this movie is incredibly detailed; from the trouble they get into at the department for filming while on patrol, to the hilarious banter between the two friends while driving through the streets of L.A. It all looks and feels real! Gyllenhaal has lately become an actor I not only respect but also genuinely like, thanks to films such as Nightcrawler, and this is one of his finest performances.

I also need to give credit to Natalie Martinez and Anna Kendrick, who play the wife and girlfriend of the two officers. Especially Anna Kendrick, who plays this smart, good-hearted young woman that Gyllenhaal starts dating, she did an amazing job! I completely fell in love with her character once she was fully introduced.

Ayer created a strong and believable story with amazing dialogue. The audience truly bonds with the characters and their families, rooting for them while they chase baddies, and that feeling intensifies during the events of the last act. Granted, the ending doesn’t really come as a surprise, but you still hope that somehow a miracle will change the outcome, which makes it even more emotional.

From a cinematography standpoint, there isn’t much to say. The whole movie is based on handheld footage, so scenes are shaky and wobbly from time to time, but interestingly, it doesn’t diminish the quality of the film. In fact, it’s thanks to that documentary style that this movie gains an ultra-realistic touch, making you forget that you’re watching a film and not an actual event.

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Verdict: End of Watch is a great, realistic portrayal of a crime drama. Gyllenhaal gives one of his best performances, his chemistry with Peña is impeccable, and the story is fantastic. If you haven’t seen this movie yet, go and watch it! I truly recommend it! I’ll give it a 9.0 out of 10.

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