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End of Watch

  • 20122012
  • RR
  • 1h 49m
IMDb RATING
7.6/10
252K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
2,100
110
Jake Gyllenhaal and Michael Peña in End of Watch (2012)
Two young officers are marked for death when they confiscate money and firearms from the members of a notorious cartel during a routine traffic stop.
Play trailer2:29
9 Videos
99+ Photos
ActionAdventureCrime
Shot documentary-style, this film follows the daily grind of two young police officers in LA who are partners and friends, and what happens when they meet criminal forces greater than themse... Read allShot documentary-style, this film follows the daily grind of two young police officers in LA who are partners and friends, and what happens when they meet criminal forces greater than themselves.Shot documentary-style, this film follows the daily grind of two young police officers in LA who are partners and friends, and what happens when they meet criminal forces greater than themselves.
IMDb RATING
7.6/10
252K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
2,100
110
    • David Ayer
    • David Ayer
  • Stars
    • Jake Gyllenhaal
    • Michael Peña
    • Anna Kendrick
    • David Ayer
    • David Ayer
  • Stars
    • Jake Gyllenhaal
    • Michael Peña
    • Anna Kendrick
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 465User reviews
    • 369Critic reviews
    • 68Metascore
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Awards

    Videos9

    U.S. Version -- #2
    Trailer 2:29
    Watch U.S. Version -- #2
    No. 1
    Trailer 2:29
    Watch No. 1
    Shaving Cream
    Clip 0:39
    Watch Shaving Cream
    You've Tugged on the Tail of a Snake
    Clip 0:47
    Watch You've Tugged on the Tail of a Snake
    Dodgers Tickets
    Clip 1:19
    Watch Dodgers Tickets
    "Starbucks and Quinceañeras"
    Clip 1:10
    Watch "Starbucks and Quinceañeras"
    2012 Nclr Alma Awards: Jake Gyllenhaal, End Of Watch
    Interview 1:12
    Watch 2012 Nclr Alma Awards: Jake Gyllenhaal, End Of Watch
    2012 Nclr Alma Awards: Michael Pena, End Of Watch
    Interview 1:11
    Watch 2012 Nclr Alma Awards: Michael Pena, End Of Watch
    End of Watch
    Promo 1:01
    Watch End of Watch

    Photos105

    Michael Peña and Natalie Martinez in End of Watch (2012)
    Maurice Compte and Flakiss in End of Watch (2012)
    Frank Grillo, Michael Peña, America Ferrera, and Cody Horn in End of Watch (2012)
    Jake Gyllenhaal and Michael Peña in End of Watch (2012)
    Jake Gyllenhaal and Michael Peña in End of Watch (2012)
    Jake Gyllenhaal and Michael Peña in End of Watch (2012)
    America Ferrera in End of Watch (2012)
    Maurice Compte, Jake Gyllenhaal, Michael Peña, and Flakiss in End of Watch (2012)
    Jake Gyllenhaal and Anna Kendrick in End of Watch (2012)
    Jake Gyllenhaal and Michael Peña in End of Watch (2012)
    Frank Grillo, Jake Gyllenhaal, and Michael Peña in End of Watch (2012)
    Anna Kendrick in End of Watch (2012)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Jake Gyllenhaal
    Jake Gyllenhaal
    • Brian Taylor
    Michael Peña
    Michael Peña
    • Mike Zavala
    Anna Kendrick
    Anna Kendrick
    • Janet
    America Ferrera
    America Ferrera
    • Orozco
    Natalie Martinez
    Natalie Martinez
    • Gabby
    David Harbour
    David Harbour
    • Van Hauser
    Frank Grillo
    Frank Grillo
    • Sarge
    Cle Sloan
    Cle Sloan
    • Mr. Tre
    Jaime FitzSimons
    • Captain Reese
    Cody Horn
    Cody Horn
    • Davis
    Shondrella Avery
    Shondrella Avery
    • Bonita
    Everton Lawrence
    Everton Lawrence
    • Man Friend
    Leequwid 'Devil' Wilkens
    • CK
    James 'Pistol' McNeal
    • DJ
    Zone
    • Too Tall
    Alvin Norman
    • Peanut
    Richard Cabral
    Richard Cabral
    • Demon
    Diamonique
    Diamonique
    • Wicked
      • David Ayer
      • David Ayer
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

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    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      As part of their training, Jake Gyllenhaal and Michael Peña spent five months doing 12-hour ride-alongs with on-duty LAPD officers. During Gyllenhaal's first ride-along, he witnessed a murder.
    • Goofs
      During the locker room scene, Officer Taylor states the standard issue sidearm for the LAPD is a Glock 19. This is incorrect, as the standard issue sidearm is a Glock 17 (9mm) issued to recruits in the police academy which they must carry for their one (1) year probationary period. After successfully completing their probation period, officers can then purchase and carry a firearm of their choice off the department's "Approved for Carry" list, which includes the Glock 19.
    • Quotes

      [first lines]

      Brian Taylor: I am the police, and I'm here to arrest you. You've broken the law. I did not write the law. I may even disagree with the law but I will enforce it. No matter how you plead, cajole, beg or attempt to stir my sympathies, nothing you do will stop me from placing you in a steel cage with gray bars. If you run away I will chase you. If you fight me I will fight back. If you shoot at me I will shoot back. By law I am unable to walk away. I am a consequence. I am the unpaid bill. I am fate with a badge and a gun. Behind my badge is a heart like yours. I bleed, I think, I love, and yes I *can* be killed. And although I am but one man, I have thousands of brothers and sisters who are the same as me. They will lay down their lives for me, and I them. We stand watch together. The thin-blue-line, protecting the prey from the predators, the good from the bad. We are the police.

    • Crazy credits
      This film is dedicated to the men and women of the law enforcement community who face danger daily on our behalf. It is especially dedicated to our fallen heroes who have made the ultimate sacrifice in the line of duty. This is for all that fight evil so we may not know it. God bless you all.
    • Connections
      Featured in Maltin on Movies: Trouble with the Curve (2012)
    • Soundtracks
      Harder Than You Think
      Written by Flavor Flav (as William Drayton), Chuck D (as Carlton Ridenhour) and Gary G-Wiz (as Gary Rinaldo)

      Performed by Public Enemy

      Courtesy of Bring the Noize Music, Inc.

      By Arrangement with Reach Global, Inc.

    User reviews465

    Review
    Review
    Featured review
    8/10
    Likable, believable characters make this a realistically funny, intense and emotionally gripping cop movie.
    When I actually sit down and think about it, there aren't many good movies about your average, every day police officer. There are a couple notable television series', like "Hill Street Blues" and the now dated but oddly fascinating reality series "Cops", but on film, these guys don't get a lot of luck. I guess everyone would rather see movies about undercover officers or detectives. Well for anyone like me who's been waiting for it, here it is. End Of Watch, an excellent take on the genre. It may not be perfect, but it's unique and shows the day to day life more effectively than most if any cop movies I've seen, and as such I think it will one day be essential viewing for fans of the genre.

    In the film we meet Brian Taylor, an ex-marine working as a police officer while he works his way through law school. He also just so happens to be taking a class in filmmaking and is filming his experiences to make a documentary for said class, and this is where we get much of our view into the film from. Featured frequently in the film is his partner Mike, often called Z. After stumbling upon a drug-lord at a routine traffic stop, they quickly fall into trouble with the cartel and have to fight their way through it while still trying to figure out where it's all coming from.

    The great thing about this mockumentary/found footage style isn't so much the way it's able to present the action of being a cop realistically (which it does but so do normally shot movies), but it better gives us an understanding of what happens inbetween the action. Being a fly on the wall in the various dull, inappropriate, and often times hilarious conversations the two have when patrolling brings the film a much needed dose of comic relief, but the kind that never feels forced. It's all set up naturally. This really gives a chance for stars Jake Gyllenhaal and Michael Pena to shine as well as they fit so naturally into these characters, often sounding unscripted whether or not they are. They play them as regular guys instead of complex characters which may make them a little less compelling, but all the more fun to watch.

    The film also mixes in a variety of other video sources from the dashboard cams of the police cruisers to security cameras. This really benefits the style as a whole. 99% of the time, using the self-shot, found footage for an entire film can come off as gimmicky and unnecessary, but by using a variety of sources the director is able to keep the realistic tone consistent while downplaying the gimmick idea and instead choosing to use Brian's self shot footage and monologues to the camera only when they prove most effective to the story.

    Along the way the film is also interspersed with subplots of Brian meeting his new girl Janet, played by Anna Kendrick who makes a memorable impression despite her little screen time, as well as Z and his wife having a baby. While I find it hard to really complain about Anna Kendrick (she's just so damn cute! And she looked stunning on stage introducing the film), these subplots, while important for character development, are thrown in a little too randomly throughout and mess with the overall flow of the film. It's not a huge complaint as I've seen it done worse in other movies, but it could've been solved with some tighter editing. But who knows, this was the premiere I saw, studios still often tweak movies before wide-release.

    Fortunately for writer/director David Ayer, this is really the only complaint I have about the film. The entire movie is fairly well written. I did find the dialogue of a lot of the street thugs to be cliché and racially stereotypical, but the things Brian and Z say are priceless throughout and help you deal with a lot of the more serious scenes, and there are quite a few of them. For as entertaining and light-hearted as it is at times, End Of Watch has many dark, brutally violent, and emotionally impacting scenes that are not for the feint of heart. They do ultimately seem necessary though as the film needs action to keep it going, and to create the realistic document of day to day police life it's trying to create, which does get pretty brutal sometimes despite the mostly mundane times in between. The important thing though is that the film is able to balance all of these moments so well.

    David Ayer has dedicated what seems to be his whole career to police movies. Most are mediocre to bad (Street Kings), some are genre classics (Training Day), but I think End Of Watch is by far his finest. It easily has the most likable characters, and as such the most emotional involvement for the audience, which thus creates the most tension in the high risk, action scenes. It has the most believable story of any of his movies, or most cop movies for that matter, and lastly it just told in an interesting way. Neither the cop story, found footage action or fly on the wall comedy genres are anything new, but End of Watch takes old ideas and fits them together to make something interesting.

    In conclusion, it's tough to go wrong with End Of Watch if you're a fan of the genre. Even if you're not particularly fond of cop movies, I'd still recommend it. It's a highly entertaining, tension filled ride of a movie. It may not be as deep as some other movies coming out now, but it really brings you into another world well. It's well written, well directed, well acted, and was well enjoyed by the whole crowd. Check it out.
    helpful•254
    72
    • nick_white_5
    • Sep 10, 2012

    FAQ8

    • What is "End of Watch" about?
    • Who were the dead bodies in the drug house, and why were they killed?
    • What is the first song as Mike and Brian patrol?

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • September 21, 2012 (United States)
      • United States
    • Official sites
      • Official Facebook
      • Official site (Japan)
      • English
      • Spanish
    • Also known as
    • Filming locations
      • Los Angeles, California, USA
    • Production companies
      • Exclusive Media Group
      • Emmett/Furla/Oasis Films (EFO Films)
      • Hedge Fund Film Partners
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

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    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Technical specs

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    • 1 hour 49 minutes
      • Color
      • Black and White
      • Datasat
      • Dolby Digital

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