It’s a reasonable argument to make that End of Watch (2012) would not be received well if released today, given the highly volatile situation in the United States which has arisen due to numerous senseless shootings involving police officers and unarmed members of minority groups. The film, which combines mock-documentary, found footage and traditional narrative techniques to follow two young police officers in a dangerous district of LA as they navigate gangs, drugs and the politics of the force.
The film is very much on the side of the police, it can be seen as a counter-argument to David Ayers Training day, although even in that film the honest cop essentially wins in the end. There are no ambiguities here, Brian Taylor (Jake Gyllenhaal) and Mike Zavala (Michael Pena) are the good guys, albeit with their own morals, attitudes and flaws. With the film being so focused on the daily workings of these two individuals, its important that the audience is allowed to get to know them and care for their well-being. This is achieved very well through the in-car banter between the two lead actors, who share a warmth and comfort which makes you truly believe they would risk their lives for each-other, and its surprising to learn that the two actors did not get along off camera as they seem to have so much chemistry in-front of it. We also see their lives outside of the patrol-car, and are shown just how much they risk to protect and serve.
The villains and bad-guys of the film are not given nearly enough attention, and end-up becoming flat caricatures and cartoon gangsters. In-fact, End of Watch (2012) can be seen as two separate films – a gritty portrayal of the life of a police officer in LA, and a ludicrous crime drama involving cartels, human trafficking and gold-plated Ak’s. However, one half of the film manages to be good enough to hold up the other, and by the time the un-believability factor ratchets up we are already invested in these characters enough to go with it.
End of Watch (2012) is an interesting film to look at in context to what I mentioned at the beginning of this review. It gives viewers a glimpse of what appears to be a fairly accurate portrayal of doing a dangerous job in a very dangerous place (Gyllenhaal and Pena reportedly spent extensive time with LAPD officers during ride-along’s to gain first hand insight). However, like any story, not everything is black and white. Yes, police officers are heroic and put their lives on the line on a daily basis to protect the public, but they are also human, with their own prejudices and beliefs which can easily spill over with disastrous effects. End of Watch (2012) paints a picture of a noble brother/sisterhood, a thin blue line of protection against the bad guys, and while the film pulls all the right emotional punches due to good character development and strong lead performances, it fails to explore the larger issue of good and evil on both sides, a failure which unfortunately does not withstand todays reality.
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