End of Watch
2012
***
Director: David Ayer
Cast: Jake Gyllenhaal, Michael Peña, Anna Kendrick, Natalie Martinez, America Ferrera, Frank Grillo, Cody Horn, David Harbour
Brian Taylor and Mike Zavala are young police officers who patrol the perilous streets of South Central Los Angeles. They are also close friends, who are both starting a family. When John Ford was asked about his profession, he famously said that he makes Westerns. David Ayer writes and directs movies about LAPD cops. This is a gritty and believable story about the men in blue, at least initially. Ayer attemps to convince us that his movie is edited from camcorder, body cam and dash cam footage, but this doesn't hold water for very long. His script sadly telegraphs the (implausible) climactic events.
