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| Jake Gyllenhaal and Anna Kendrick |
“End of Watch” is a hypnotic, entertainingly familiar police
crime drama set on the streets of South Central Los Angeles, one of the
roughest areas of that city. “Watch” follows two L.A. police offers (Jake
Gyllenhaal and Michael Pena) on the streets. As they track down criminals, they
make a startling discovery that leads to a drug cartel, who in turn then wants
them both killed. Directed by David Ayer (“Street Kings,” “SWAT”), the violent
but well-acted film is shot documentary-style to give it more of a natural,
street feel, which both helps and hurts the film. The film’s jumpiness gives it
an edge though at some points throughout it becomes annoying and unnecessary. “End
of Watch” treads familiar ground and much like the other L.A. police films, has
a dramatic, bloody (not to mention tragic) ending. Yet the difference with Ayer’s
version of L.A. is that it’s infused with much more humor than you’d expect,
which softens the film’s darker plot elements, not to mention making the cops
here much more sympathetic (and far less dirty) than say Woody Harrelson in
last year’s very dark and very serious “Rampart.” Gyllenhaal and Pena ground
the film well in strong performances, Gyllenhaal in particular gives one of his
better performances (his final, heartbreaking scene is the film’s most
memorable), and the two share a genuine chemistry that is felt on screen. “Watch” also works best when it focuses on the
job rather than their personal lives, and while Anna Kendrick and Natalie
Martinez, as the cops significant others, are lovely, their roles are mostly
unnecessary. The predictable but
enjoyable “End of Watch” with its strong performances, is one of the year’s
better films.
Wes's Grade: B
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