Review: End of Watch

I was dodging traffic this evening coming back from work and decided to take a movie in.  And because my cheap ass ain't satisfied with my price of purchase unless I sneak into another one, I predictably saw two.  The original plan was to see The Paperboy and then watch Argo for free (I had the showtimes planned out perfectly will little lag time).  But, because the internets sometimes spread inaccurate information, I realized late-on that my selected cinema had started my screening of The Paperboy much earlier than the internets had me plan.  SO, I had to hightail it to the closest cinema that was still playing the movie (which is tanking; naturally, Nicole Kidman is and forever will be box-office poison and that's part of why we love her)--not easy task in Orange County for an independently funded film that no one is going to see and has already been out for a weekend or two.  Luckily, I made it to nearby city Brea (which had this Universal City like city center), parked my car, purchased my ticket, and parked my ass just as the movie was beginning.  I actually thought I was watching a preview, because at this particular theater in Brea, CA, they just go right into it.  No "And Now Your Feature Presentation."  Which was especially confusing because the film begins in flashback with Macy Gray (whom I forgot was in the movie) being interviewed about a murder in 1969.  This is after a trailer for the latest schlocky remake of Texas Chainsaw Massacre, which is also told in flashback.  After I retrieved my bearings, I got into the movie and really liked it.  I was expecting to love or hate it, as most critics theorized would be the reaction of most.  I have to say I really liked it, but didn't love it.  The first forty or sixty minutes were phenomenal, but then it loses its energy quite quickly.  Not a perfect movie, full of flaws, but there was some great stuff going on.  Lee Daniels could have done worse with his Precious followup.  This doesn't make me excited at all for The Butler, but now I'm a little curious about what looks like a hot mess.

But, back to End of Watch!  I wasn't planning on staying.  I figured it would be like another recent film about an L.A. cop Rampart (which, for the life of me, I could not get into) and either sneak into The Perks of Being a Wallflower (I read the book last year) or just go home.  But, I ended up staying!  In fact, I have to say I loved End of Watch.  With so many movies out there that shit on cops (especially those based in the City of Los Angeles), this was kind of a valentine to L.A.P.D.'s finest.  I'm not normally a patriotic-type, but this was an intelligent, if slightly imperfect film, about the work lives of those in civil service who deal with some of the toughest, most violent beats in the country.  Jake Gyllenhaal and Michael Pena play young, cocky cops with adventurous spirits and the will to do good. They're best friends with a brotherly bond.  They're kind of "too good to be true."  At one point, the law and the criminal have a meeting of the minds, which was unbelievable, but the filmmakers convince you to buy into it.  We watch them go through the motions of their professional lives, while getting a glimpse of their personal, as well as their history.  Part of the film's gimmick is Gyllenhaal's character Brian records their activities, so, at the beginning, the film is shot from all sorts of odd, stationary angles on digital stock, as well as wobbly shots from Brian's handheld POV.  Director David Ayer (screenwriter of Training Day and the original The Fast and the Furious) continues with the motif from other character's perspectives, but quickly cheats from a third-person perspective.  Most of the film is told traditionally with random non-sensical angles thrown to finesse the guerrilla-look.  While it's distracting and mildly obnoxious sometimes initially, the story becomes so engrossing that it's fairly negligible.  We really get into the lives of these officers and the people around them, without being cloying.  The acting is genuine, though the villains unintentionally border if not cross into cartoon territory.  Gyllenhaal and Pena have mad chemistry and serve as the film's strongest point.  I knew the reception was way above average (85 RT; 70 MC; 8.0 IMDb), but I wasn't honestly prepared to be pleasantly surprised by this mature film.  As it's a cop drama, it's pretty graphic in moments, and there are a couple of anxiety-driven scenes I couldn't wait for to be over.  But, all in all, I thought it was decent movie, well-crafted, and made me appreciate those who "protect and serve."