Most people enjoy familiarity; they
enjoy it because it brings comfort. The good stuff though, comes when you do a
fresh take on something you have seen a million times. “Found footage” films are
still riding high, some are good and some are bad. “Cop” films usually follow the same path
every time, with rare exceptions. Lucky
for us there is David Ayer who decided to combine the two sub-genres. Having already brought us “Training Day” Ayer
brings a new and great take on police dramas.
Brian Taylor (Jake Gyllenhaal), (and
before you ask I wish I was writing a review for a movie I was starring in) is
doing a project for school and decides to take a camera on his nightly patrolling
of South Central Los Angeles. With his partner Mike Zavala (Mike Pena), they
are in the hot shots of the L.A.P.D. With the camera rolling, we get to see
what a day in the life of cop really is like. They are heroic, and they also
get scared, they are just normal people who have to do extraordinary things
sometimes. We see Officer Taylor and Zavala do everything from car chases, to
rescuing three kids from a burning house. They are on top of the world, even
turning over some rocks that they shouldn’t. There is a real sense of
brotherhood between these two, and you know they would each take a bullet for
the other.
“End of Watch” is what all cop movies should
strive to be. You finally see what it feels like to be a man and women in blue.
With the handheld camera approach that Ayer decided to go with, you get the
complete sense of realism. Gyllenhall
and Pena are amazing to watch, with a chemistry that is perfect for what they
are going for. The scenes with them two riding around in the car are priceless,
just normal everyday talk while they protect us from crime. I really enjoyed this movie and the approach
it took on Police dramas. David Ayer knows what he is doing when it comes to
these movies, and I can only hope he keeps doing them. This is what going to
the movies is all about, having fun and being entertained.
So do yourself a favor and go and see “End of Watch”, something any fan of cop
dramas will enjoy.
Brian Taylor
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