End of Watch – review

Found-footage visual: Jake Gyllenhaal and Michael Peña as LAPD officers Taylor and Zavala

End of Watch, the new film by writer/director David Ayer – the man behind the likes of Training Day, Harsh Times and S.W.A.T. – is a film that is likely to split the opinion of cinema-goers down the middle and which side you fall will almost certainly depend on your approval or disapproval of the format in which the film is shot.

Cop-drama master Ayer chose to depict this story of two young and ballsy LAPD police partners in hand-held camera style as they get caught up in a situation bigger and darker than they could ever have imagined. Viewers will either love or hate this directorial decision but there should be little debate over the quality of the storyline, dialogue and acting, all of which are hugely impressive.

Brian Taylor [Jake Gyllenhaal] and Mike Zavala (“Zee”) [Michael Peña] are not only partners on patrol, but close buddies whose friendship blossoms the deeper they delve into the mire of LA gang violence and they soon show their willingness to go the distance for each other and put their trust and lives in each other’s hands.

They start out in playful mood, keen to show off their skills. Taylor is filming him and his partner, with mini-cameras clipped to their uniforms (plus often carrying a hand-held one), for a personal project – much to the displeasure of some of their unit – and this is the perspective from which we as the viewer see the two up-and-coming cops go about their business.

We witness them on patrol, involved in high-speed car chases, drug-busts and some gun-wielding face-offs in gangland and we see that these guys are in a volatile environment, but one in which it seems they still have under control. However, it is not long before we see that there is a fine line between enthusiasm, cockiness and dangerous naivety.

Zee shows his reckless side early on when getting into an mutually-agreed (off-record) fight with a black gang member, Mr Tre [Cle Shaheed Sloan], he is about to cuff, while Taylor has an ambitious and curious streak that leads them into murkier waters than their pay grade warrants, as he admits to wanting to play detective.

This is most apparent when they chance upon a big arms and drugs seizure, which includes an extraordinarily pimped-up array of guns, suggesting that one suspect is no small-time player. Rather than just enjoying the plaudits of the coup, leaving the “big dogs” to take over, they dig deeper into a situation akin to kicking a criminal hornet’s nest, as a major Mexican cartel rears its head. The horror of their discoveries shocks them, but also draws them in.

First though, they continue to impress and receive awards for their duties when entering a burning building to save some children, but their lack of caution and sudden fear shows them another fine line – between being a living hero and being a dead hero. Are they hero cops or over-zealous pretenders gambling with their lives?

Themes running through the film include the power shift in the drug game from black gangs to Mexican cartels (we see the view from both), love and respect between friends from different backgrounds and cultures (Zee and his wife and family are Mexican), plus the unforgiving role of the police in fighting dangerous criminals.

If Training Day was a portrayal of the ultimate dirty cop – bombastically played by the brilliant Denzel Washington – and the gross misuse of police empowerment, End of Watch is at the opposite end of the scale and is almost an ode to the police force and the bravery required by special individuals. The docu-style of the film is not just a novelty effect either and after the initial period of acclimatising to the frantic camera work, you become immersed in the action and the characters’ world, and it is a hyper-real production. There are no catchphrases and no Snoop Dogg or Dr Dre to be seen, just great acting, fizzing and believable dialogue, and hard-hitting action.

The heartbeat of the film is the close-knit bond between Taylor and Zee, more than a mere bromance, and the chemistry between Gyllenhaal and Peña is undeniable and the mix of mocking banter, mutual relationship advice and serious heart-to-heart moments are engrossing, as is the genuine fear we experience for our protagonists as things get increasingly frenzied and desperate.

If people needed reminding what a class act Jake Gyllenhaal is, since his migration from cult star to a major box-office face, then this will refresh the memory. He is back doing what he does best; playing the quasi-bad boy with a good heart. Taylor’s opening monologue recalls Jarhead, as does his cheekiness (and bald head) and there are similarities to Gyllenhaal’s character in the underrated Brothers.

End of Watch is an impressive new take on police dramas or buddy-cop movies, which some would call a “game-changer” of the genre, and is as exciting as it is touching. How on earth it is rated a 15 I will never know, as there is a heavy dose of expletives and violent content throughout, but it doesn’t feel excessive due to the believability of the cast and the dark reality of the LA streets presented to us.

End of Watch (15)
Directed by David Ayer
Starring: Jake Gyllenhaal, Michael Peña, Natalie Martinez, Anna Kendrick, David Harbour. Frank Grillo, Cle Shaheed Sloan, Maurice Compte
Running time: 109 minutes

End of Watch is showing at the Hackney Picturehouse until 2 December and London-wide throughout December.