The style and use of consumer cameras was a terrible idea. The performances by Michael Pena and Jake Gyllenhaal are fantastic. I could just watch the two of them tell stories and jokes all day. Pena continues delivering fantastic performances year after year, movie after movie. Can't wait for someone to give him a role that gets him the Awards recognition he deserves.
I'm usually very easiliy distracted, even while watching good movies. In this movie I felt as if I was in it myself. The handheld thingie worked really well. Good plot, good acting and nice character building between the two partners. Recommended :)
They won't be happy until every genre has been done in found footage format, but End of Watch isn't exactly that though. While SOME of the action is filmed by the principals, a lot of it comes from a magical documentary cam that doesn't have a person attached to it. So it would be more true to say it has a hand-held documentary STYLE that incorporates found footage. Still distracting. I've now come to expect a certain disappointment when it comes to David Ayer films, not because they are bad, but because they just come short of being really good. This story of cops on patrol in a rough part of L.A. isn't original, but Jake Gyllenhall and Michael Peña have ample chemistry and an easy way with improvisation that gives a lot of the scenes a COPS-like verisimilitude. For a while, you can coast on that and the style, but by the end, you'll realize nothing in this was new.
There is a reason Ebert ranked this as the 4th best film released last year: the acting from both Gyllenhaal and Pena is phenomenal. And when the two leads of film hit it off as well as these two do (within developed characters to be sure), you've got the makings of a very good picture. And this is certainly one.
I was worried to start with - I'm not sure about David Ayer - he's had a hand in some of the worst screenplays of the 00s (U571, Fast and the Furious, SWAT) but his cop dramas have made his name: Training Day was a good idea sadly turned into glossy nonsense, but having read glowing reviews of this his latest screenwriting/directing stab I decided to give it a go. The start wasn't encouraging: a terrible cheesy opening monologue followed by the setting up of a very tired and very implausible "found footage" style movie, but the central characters proved to be so well written, and brilliantly and sensitively performed by Gyllenhaal and Pena, that before long I found myself completely engrossed in their trials and tribulations, and impressed by the growing tension throughout. You really do care about these men, and constantly wonder how any cop can keep their nerve under what must be these mostly realistic circumstances. There are problems: the bad Mexican gangsters are total caricatures and not well acted at all, and a tagged on epilogue after a gripping and emotional final act is misplaced and clumsy. For all that, it's a powerful cop drama that's well worth seeing.
Tells the hard truth of being a honest cop amidst a huge crime city. Also I believe this movie will soon hold the record for max # of F bombs in movie. Lol.
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Comments 1 - 15 of 29
VChile
I was with this until the ending, which I found to be unrealistic.Armoreska
The word "fuck" is used 326 times, making it sixth in the all time "fuck" movie list, and 10th ranked by frequency (3 a minute)CSSCHNEIDER
The style and use of consumer cameras was a terrible idea. The performances by Michael Pena and Jake Gyllenhaal are fantastic. I could just watch the two of them tell stories and jokes all day. Pena continues delivering fantastic performances year after year, movie after movie. Can't wait for someone to give him a role that gets him the Awards recognition he deserves.LarsC
Hero Cop: The Bromance (Shaky edition)hippo
I'm usually very easiliy distracted, even while watching good movies. In this movie I felt as if I was in it myself. The handheld thingie worked really well. Good plot, good acting and nice character building between the two partners. Recommended :)avi2k3
Sick, superb film. thrilling and dramatic when needed.8.5/10
Siskoid
They won't be happy until every genre has been done in found footage format, but End of Watch isn't exactly that though. While SOME of the action is filmed by the principals, a lot of it comes from a magical documentary cam that doesn't have a person attached to it. So it would be more true to say it has a hand-held documentary STYLE that incorporates found footage. Still distracting. I've now come to expect a certain disappointment when it comes to David Ayer films, not because they are bad, but because they just come short of being really good. This story of cops on patrol in a rough part of L.A. isn't original, but Jake Gyllenhall and Michael Peña have ample chemistry and an easy way with improvisation that gives a lot of the scenes a COPS-like verisimilitude. For a while, you can coast on that and the style, but by the end, you'll realize nothing in this was new.allisoncm
It rocked.MrDoog
These movies usually aren't my cup of tea but this one turned out to be a very pleasant surprise.Solid movie that engages the audience and definitely worth a watch.
psdantonio
There is a reason Ebert ranked this as the 4th best film released last year: the acting from both Gyllenhaal and Pena is phenomenal. And when the two leads of film hit it off as well as these two do (within developed characters to be sure), you've got the makings of a very good picture. And this is certainly one.devilsadvocado
Drama overload. If we were to end the war on drugs we wouldn't have to continue making mediocre movies like this. At 1:25:24 the most blatant case ofaudiopile
good good good.dombrewer
I was worried to start with - I'm not sure about David Ayer - he's had a hand in some of the worst screenplays of the 00s (U571, Fast and the Furious, SWAT) but his cop dramas have made his name: Training Day was a good idea sadly turned into glossy nonsense, but having read glowing reviews of this his latest screenwriting/directing stab I decided to give it a go. The start wasn't encouraging: a terrible cheesy opening monologue followed by the setting up of a very tired and very implausible "found footage" style movie, but the central characters proved to be so well written, and brilliantly and sensitively performed by Gyllenhaal and Pena, that before long I found myself completely engrossed in their trials and tribulations, and impressed by the growing tension throughout. You really do care about these men, and constantly wonder how any cop can keep their nerve under what must be these mostly realistic circumstances. There are problems: the bad Mexican gangsters are total caricatures and not well acted at all, and a tagged on epilogue after a gripping and emotional final act is misplaced and clumsy. For all that, it's a powerful cop drama that's well worth seeing.arrbrr
Tells the hard truth of being a honest cop amidst a huge crime city. Also I believe this movie will soon hold the record for max # of F bombs in movie. Lol.samfenn
At times felt a bit like there was no real storyline, but apart from that I loved it. Really made me care about the characters.Showing items 1 – 15 of 29