The new high voltage cop thriller “End of Watch” is a victim of heavy-handed style destroying substance. First time director David Ayer employs a pseudo-found footage technique that straps cameras to dashboards, shirt pockets and foreheads (I’m pretty sure there is one shot where a camera is mounted to yet another camera) then dizzyingly whips us through his story. While this may be an attempt to make the action more intimate, the result is pointless and distracting, taking away from what could have been a perfectly good film.
It is a true shame because both Jake Gyllenhaal and Michael Pena both give marvelous performances that are nearly buried by the fleeting gimmicks. The pair play police partners patrolling the horrid streets of South Central in what is a near remake to the Sean Penn/ Robert Duvall 80’s flick, “Colors”. After returning to service following a brutal gang shooting that opens the film with footage that could have been lifted from an episode of “Cops,” the boys are back on the streets. Every call received from dispatch reveals new horrors, all truly disturbing, that paints the streets of Los Angeles as a genuine level of Hell.
To mix things up we explore the love lives of Taylor (Gyllenhaal) and Zavala (Pena). Taylor finds Janet (Anna Kendrick) while Zavala married his high school sweetheart, Gabby (Natalie Martinez). While this drives home the extent of the men’s sacrifices to protect the faceless public, it bogs things down as the subplots are examined a touch too long. When the plot shifts to Mexican Drug Cartels and massive shootouts, “End of Watch” becomes a live action video game that further weakens its potential.
Despite the film’s many flaws, the chemistry between the two leads makes the film worth a look. Gyllenhaal spent months along side real police officers and dedication is apparent. His performance feels authentic and he creates a real world hero. Pena is an instantly likable presence, funny and fierce. These are men that care about their work and share a bond that is palpable. They shine despite there surroundings.
The bad guys do not fare as well. There are scenes when the Mexican gang members are shown plotting attacks, screaming and acting tough. Literally every other word is “F**K”. I am no prude and have the verbal capacity to sound ignorant at times but it would be nice if something was eventually communicated.
Ayer should have just made a standard movie, not a shaky cam video game. He observes no rules of found footage as his characters inexplicably carry cameras to capture some footage while other footage comes from “ghost cameras” that float around with no explanation as to why they are there. Why, David? Why? He wrote the script for “Training Day” and has now presented police as villain and hero. There is a strong movie buried somewhere in “End of Watch”. You will just have to go digging for it.