Rating of
2.5/4
"End Of Watch" by Yojimbo
Yojimbo - wrote on 11/05/14
A pair of L.A. street cops have their hot shot reputation tested when they stumble upon a Mexican drug cartel operation that is more brutal and ruthless than anything they have previously encountered. Another trip through the looking glass of gangland Los Angeles from the director of Training Day, End Of Watch is a similar cocktail of gang bangers, street crime and gritty drama all filmed in a documentary style that owes much to the YouTube generation. The crux of the drama in Training Day however was the antagonism between its protagonists but in this film the story is so eager to present the likeable pairing of Gyllenhaal and Pena as "the good guys" that the first half of the film is like a cross between an PR video for the LAPD and a bromance. By the finale, the directorial style has strayed into the "found footage" genre regularly striving as it does for realism, but the first person device that puts you in the shoes of the characters as they fight for their lives has the effect of making you feel like you're watching someone else play "Call Of Duty: LAPD". As a whole it's a solid if somewhat plot-light cop drama that's a lot better than a lot of the crass, stereotype-filled gang banger movies out there and will appeal to fans of TV cop show The Shield.
