Let's just put this out there right now: I am so over "found footage" movies. Much like movies in 3D, found footage films have just been done to death. They were fun at first, now they're just annoying. Save for the Paranormal Activity franchise, I am pretty much done with them. That being said, kudos to David Ayer for finding a new use for it. Found footage usually sticks close with the sci-fi/horror genre, but by bending tradition and using the gimmick for an action/drama, it does put a little more life into an otherwise dying novelty.
End of Watch is one of those films that I recognize as a good film, and rather enjoyed, but thinking back there are many instances in which I could nitpick everything about it. Conversely, there are powerful moments that have stayed with me since leaving the theater. Found footage gimmick aside, there are several minor elements and scenes and moments of the movie that just rubbed me wrong that it didn't have the impact it should have had.
Writer/Director David Ayer knows LA cops. It's all he ever writes about. He's succeeded in his endeavors (Training Day), then ran with that success... and ran it into the ground. He wrote the same movie over and over and over again (Dark Blue, S.W.A.T., Harsh Times, Street Kings) until he finally hit his stride again. He found a story and a group of characters worth watching in the gritty world of the LAPD. Jake Gyllenhaal (in full "I swear I'm not gay" swagger) and Michael Pena play Officers Brian Taylor and Mike Zavala respectively. They're two run-of-the-mill working LA cops who, once reassigned to a different district than they're used to working, stumble upon the inner world of the Mexican drug cartel. That's essentially the gist of the plot, but what Ayer does so remarkably is turns the focus not on what's happening around these guys, but who these guys are. At their very heart and soul, they're friends. They're best pals. They're brothers who just want to earn a paycheck and do some good at the end of the day. They're delicately written characters and careful time and consideration is given to their relationship. It's essentially the most serious buddy-cop movie ever made.
End of Watch spans over a lot of time in which Gyllenhaal's Taylor goes from being the "man, I'm so sick of banging all these hot chicks all the time, I just kinda want someone to talk to" to marrying the girl who fit the bill (Anna Kendrick). But the transformation doesn't happen out of nowhere. There's a perfected path of which the character travels to get this point... and it makes sense. It's good to see Taylor falling in love. It's a nice moment of levity when we get to see these guys out of uniform and out of harm's way. Pena's Zavala is also a carefully constructed character. He's the perfect foil to Taylor. Though they don't differ much in age, Zavala is Taylor's bff, but also his mentor. Zavala never had the random hoes/walk of shame type life. He got married right out of high school, had a kid, and that's it. He's got the life Taylor clearly desires. And while Ayer could've gotten lazy and given Zavala the same mentality in that he misses the single life, he doesn't. Zavala is happy, content.
The relationship between these two and the sacrifices they have to make are the strength of End of Watch. It's not your typical action flick. There's no big explosions. There's no Liam Neeson one-sided battles. It's realistic and honest. While we, as moviegoers, want the revenge, the good guys vs. bad guy climax, the classic action tropes, the crazy twists and turns, the characters who have hidden agendas that come out just as things are looking their worst... End of Watch does not give in. It knows that sometimes good guys get killed and sometimes bad guys get away. It knows that being a cop in LA is one of the hardest and least rewarding jobs in existence and the movie is unapologetic in its portrayal of cop life. The best thing I can say about it is its earnest.
But, it's not a perfect movie, either. The found footage can really become overbearing at times. Specifically, there's a scene in which Taylor and Zavala are rescuing children out of a burning (crack) home. The cameras become a swirling vortex of fire, smoke, and what human images you can make out before your head starts to pound. The "reasons" behind the found footage are also a little bit contrived. While Taylor has the excuse (filming cop life for a college course he's taking) there are scenes of random cartel members filming their antics (drive bys, etc.) which begs the question... why is everyone filming everything?
After confiscating a small cache of money and firearms from a member of the cartel, suddenly a hit is put out on the cops' lives. While not totally unbelievable, it is a bit unrealistic to assume that the cartel would single just these two officers out and know exactly where and when to make their move. Little elements like these pile up and so do the questions. But the biggest problem I had with the film was the ending. I won't spoil anything for those who still would like to see it, but I will say that they pussed out. I, personally, was okay with what transpired until the final scene of the movie, which would've made sense had certain moments gone down differently, but as it stands now makes little to no sense at all.
If you can take two hours of shaky cam disorder and want to see and honest, albeit somewhat inconsistent cop film, that really does have what it takes to stand on its own two legs, then End of Watch is certainly worth the time and money. And as far as Gyllenhaal is concerned... nice try, buddy... but we all know the truth.
B
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