"End of Watch" is a very intense police drama based in South Central Los Angeles. It was written & directed by David Ayer and stars Jake Gyllenhaal & Michael Peña. This movie is dark, disturbing and quite good.
Brian Taylor (Gyllenhaal) & Miguel Zavala (Peña) are cops working in rough, drug-infested South Central L.A. As they are patrolling the streets, Taylor is filming their activities for a film project & Zavala isn't too thrilled about this. While attending to normal neighborhood criminal activities (public disturbances, children duct-taped in a crack house, gang members with trucks full of guns & money, etc.), they stumble upon crimes being perpetrated by members of the infamous Mexican Sinaloa drug cartel. This is when the shit really hits the fan and they become targets of the cartel...not a good thing. I will stop my recap here as I do not believe in spoilers...
This movie is (seemingly) about as realistic as they come. The way it depicts life on the streets in crime-riddled South Central is spot on (not that I've ever hung out there). It is very similar to the excellent TV show "The Shield" in the way it portrays this area of L.A. The way Gyllenhaal & Peña interact with & speak to one another seems very authentic as well. They portray the way these two feel & care about each other (like brothers) perfectly. I think their performances are what truly make this movie work on all levels, otherwise it'd be just another cop movie in a bleak city.
I definitely liked this movie...7.5/10 stars
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