With only Harsh Times and Street Kings under his belt from a directorial point of view, David Ayer is under no pressure to deliver with End Of Watch. Regardless at my poor attempt at sarcasm (it was brutal I’ll admit it) David Ayer has not only delivered a good movie, but he has delivered one of the better movies of 2012.
Jake Gyllenhaal and Michael Peña take on the lead roles here in addition to the rather wonderful Anna Kendrick. Two young cops who are on the up in their precinct with successful bust after successful bust, eventually grab the attention of a bunch of less than savoury characters, namely a Mexican drug cartel who play by very different rules. Through a number of incidents, including one complete and utter coincidence and a hunch, our partners find themselves in all sorts of trouble.
And it’s our two cops who instantly magnetise you to the screen. This is one of the best roles Jake Gyllenhaal has ever taken on and he is simply phenomenal here. Utterly convincing as a cop, down to the attitude and even weapon handling. Your never in doubt that this guy is a cop all his life. Simply one of the best performances of his career. He is only slightly pipped at the post by Peña who steals any number of scenes time and time again. A career best here hands down. And Anna Kendrick provides a rather amazing supporting role that is full of innocence, heart and a tonne of sole. It is nigh on impossible to find fault with the cast here.
And if truth be told, it’s almost night on impossible to find fault with End Of Watch. Even the moments where its Gyllenhaal’s character “filming” some of the stuff thats going on, it all works. The pacing, the look, the soundtrack, the performances, everything about this movie screams quality. It’s gritty, realistic and utterly entertaining. And while it could have been very easy to this by the numbers, thankfully it doesn’t really follow the usual Hollywood style of this genre.
With career best performances demanding the price of admission alone, End Of Watch is one of the best movies of 2012 and is an absolute MUST watch.
