Movie Review: End of Watch

End of Watch gives a new, and much needed, definition of buddy cop movie. It's not a goofy pairing of opposites, forced to be partners against their will. No one is paired with a dog, child or orangutan. End of Watch provides a positive, strong bond between two policemen who are more than friends. They look after each other as if they were family.

End of Watch is shot in a first person, documentary style which is usually preserved for horror films, but its nice to see it used in another genre. Brian Taylor ( played by Jake Gyllenhaal) and Mike Savala (Michael Pena) are street cops working in the L.A.P.D. They are shining examples in their department and are regarded as heroes to some and seen as show offs by others. The patrol the tough southern neighborhoods of L.A. and deal with a lot of drug and gang related crimes. The neighborhood they patrol is engaged in change of population. It was highly populated by African Americans, but a lot of  people of Hispanic heritage are moving in. This causes a lot of tension between the two, causing crime to go up. On a routine pullover, Savala is shot at, but they subdue the shooter and arrest him. They find a jewel encrusted handgun, loads of money hidden in a pot of soup, and a golden AK-47. Savala and Taylor tie these items to a string of incidents and stumble upon some disturbing findings and get entangled in crime that is way above their heads. They take it on together, diving head first, because its the right thing to do. It's good to see that both characters are completely genuine. There is no double cross, there isn't even a hint at it. It's two real, honest human beings that have each other's backs no matter what.

End of Watch has a good amount of humor, heart-warming and intense scenes. It's really easy to get invested in both characters. It's a solid story that constantly builds to the crescendo at the end of the movie.

This was one of my Netflix requests. I usually check out the special features if I liked the movie enough. I was excited to see that there were 20 deleted scenes and two alternate endings. I pressed Play All and was presented with a message stating that Netflix only distributes discs for rental and doesn't include the special features. You will have to buy the DVD to watch them. Weak sauce.

Rated: R
Run Time: 109 Minutes

I give End of Watch 4.5 out of 5 Burning Lariats.