Review: End of Watch

The cop or police genre is one of the most underused genres in Hollywood and it’s rare to have a good cop film since ‘Training Day’. So did this latest cop film give ‘Training Day’ a run for its money or not? Find out below.

Synopsis:
From the writer of Training Day, End of Watch is a riveting action thriller that puts audiences at the center of the chase like never before. Jake Gyllenhaal and Michael Peña star as young LA police officers who discover a secret that makes them the target of the country's most dangerous drug cartel. -- (C) Open Road


Story:
This movie did not have the most engaging story ever because it’s basically showing what a cop’s life is every day. What made the story in this movie work is the way it was told. The latest trend in Hollywood today is the use of ‘found footage’ and they used this idea in the movie and it worked, it made the movie feel original and very natural. My only gripe in this movie is that some subplot was not explored properly despite showing an important role in the movie.

Acting:
In my opinion this is Jake Gyllenhaal and Michael Pena’s best performance to date. Gyllenhaal also showed a good performance in ‘Source Code’ but his performance in this film takes the cake, now as for Michael Pena he has never been better, he’s performance was realistic and you can really feel his emotions. Anna Kendrick was also good here but sometimes I felt like her character wasn’t really necessary.

Action/Violence:
This is a very violent movie, it doesn’t hold back to show how gruesome it is. This aspect made it feel authentic because of its very graphic nature.

Music:
I didn’t really mind this in the movie, so I have no say in this part.

Cinematography:
Like I said before, the found footage parts in this movie is what made the movie feel unique so therefore I loved its cinematography. Every shot was good and again, the usage of the found footage was not wasted as it showcased the true nature of the movie.

Direction:
David Ayer is known for directing ‘Street Kings’ and ‘Harsh Times’, while the former was a little bit underwhelming the latter is probably one of the best cop dramas ever. He also wrote ‘Training Day’ also one of the best cop dramas. David Ayer’s previous directorial; efforts was good but those doesn’t hold a candle on how good ‘End of Watch’ is, this particular film escalates the level of cop dramas.

Overall:
‘End of Watch’ is a film that action fans should not miss. It is authentic and breath-taking; the lead actors showcased their best performance on film. I give this a solid 4/5.