End of Watch

Plot: Brian (Jake Gyllenhaal) and Mike (Michael Pena) are two LA cops who become friends as they patrol South LA. They talk in the patrol car about themselves and their families. Gang member and drug dealer encounters lead to the final action with a drug cartel. Brian is taking a film class and has set up cameras -- so there is grainy video from odd angles of everything they do.  [imdb]    [photos]

Review: Vivid characters, snappy dialog, and suspenseful police action make End of Watch top Hollywood entertainment.  Actors Jake Gyllenhaal and Michael Pena are up to the challenge in both the talking and in the action scenes. They have realistic emotions, as the switch from the serious, to the the comic and sometimes the sleazy. There are a several well-done action scenes, but what distinguishes End of Watch is the rest.

The script is a big star. Gyllenhaal and Pena spend screen time talking in the car about themselves, but at the same time, they are building toward a climatic event with its personal sacrifice and life altering consequences. 

I also liked the villains -- especially cartel thugs Wicked (Diamonique) and Demon (Richard Cabral.) 

The foreshadowing is fun as Ayer leaves subtle clues about where the film is going.

It has two or three excellent songs coupled with a few beautifully photographed images of LA at night. The artistic photography contrasts with the home video feel of the action scenes. Despite the home video premise, the shakiness was not distracting. 

Cast: Jake GyllenHaal, Michael Pena

Written and directed by: David Ayer

Rating: 4.0 stars:  Best movie of 2012 so far.

 

More: I liked the fight scene as shown by the camera on Pena's shirt. 

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