End of Watch

Good Cop, Good Cop
Directed by David Ayer, "End of Watch" is a police drama that celebrates the value of friendship and the all too frequently unsung efforts of police officers to try to keep the rest of us free from the violence and evil the officers constantly endure. The movie is set on a rough police beat in South Central Los Angeles and follows the activities of two young officers, Brian Taylor (Jake Gyllenhall) and Mike Zavala (Michael Pena) as they cruise the streets and fight crime. Some scenes of the movie take place in the police academy or the stationhouse and show the cameraderie among the men and the women in uniform.

The movie is a mix of introspection and action. Brian and Mike depend upon each other for their lives, and they are fast friends. As they drive the streets they discuss their families, their respective ethnicities and backgrounds, their dreams and their women. Mike has been married to his high school sweetheart for eight years, while Brian has found a new romantic...

Great Movie!!! Very Real!!!
First of all, let me say that I am not a professional movie critic. So, I am just going to evaluate the movie based on my personal experience and enjoyability of the film. This film was phenomenal. It was very well directed. The plot was very credible and for those working on law enforcement, it will seem too accurate. The actors nailed it. It was also filmed like "Cloverfield", to make you believe that you are part of the action as a first person viewer. That was my only complaint. Since, this type of filming seems to give me headaches. Overall, I would give this film 5 stars based on the following: enjoyability, credibility, acting, costumes/clothing, special effects and plot delivery/transition and conclusion. This is not your typical "happy ending" cop movie. So, if you want a happy ending fake cop movie, do not bother watching this one. Great movie, overall. Very well portrayed.

A you-are-there, gut wrenching cop drama
If you ever wanted to know what it was like to be a beat cop in L. A. without the danger, this David Ayer film may be as close as you'll get. Shot in the overused "found footage" style, we get a tension filled action drama with excellent character development and sense of realism. Jake Gyllenhaal and Michael Pena give memorable performances as partners who are also best friends and confidants, each inviting the other into their extended families.

Officers Taylor (Gyllenhaal) and Zavala (Pena) are hot shot cops who want to do more than make traffic arrests while patrolling a mixed gang section of L. A. Sometimes heroic (rescuing children from a burning house or from an abusive home) and sometimes foolish (not waiting for backup) they manage to stumble upon an arm of a Mexican cartel involved in human trafficking. Taylor is filming everything as a project for a class he is taking at a local college. In addition to using a small traditional HD camera, he attaches mini...

Click to Editorial Reviews