“Let’s go fight crime or something.” —Officer Taylor
Today’s quick review: End of Watch. Officers Brian Taylor (Jake Gyllenhaal) and Mike Zavala (Michael Pena) of the LAPD are assigned to patrol one of the most dangerous areas of Los Angeles. Their friendship with each other makes them an effective team, while their courage under pressure helps them deal with the messy situations the job throws their way. But the two men end up in the crosshairs when they interfere with the operations of a drug cartel.
End of Watch is a crime drama about the daily lives of two LAPD officers. The movie follows Brian Taylor and Mike Zavala through the highs and lows of their job. Their long days of chatting and joking together are punctuated by bursts of violence as they are called to deal with the worst Los Angeles has to offer. The richness of the characters and the variety of situations they have to handle are enough to make End of Watch a compelling watch.
End of Watch gets a lot of mileage out of its leads. Jake Gyllenhaal and Michael Pena are perfectly matched, playing a pair of affable cops who are hard not to like. The idle conversations between them are always a pleasure to watch, and their friendship is the foundation on which the rest of the movie is built. It also servers as the perfect balance to the film’s darker moments, driving home just what the officers are putting on the line every day.
End of Watch is a movie with a lot to offer. Jake Gyllenhaal and Michael Pena do an excellent job with their roles, while the slice-of-life story is an unusually grounded depiction of police work. End of Watch does have a heavy tone in a few places, and its violence, swearing, and sense of danger may be too much for some viewers. But those willing to give it a shot will find it to be a rich and rewarding pick.
For a more fanciful action movie about a pair of cops, try Bad Boys and its sequels. For an urban fantasy police drama from the same director, try Bright. For a dark comedy starring Michael Pena as a corrupt cop, try War on Everyone.
7.6 out of 10 on IMDB. I give it a 7.5 for a pair of excellent leads.