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End of Watch

Beat cops, Brian Taylor and Mike Zavala are considered the heroes of the LAPD with their ongoing actions and the amount of heroics they can occasionally bring to the department, while at the same time both prove that they have more to offer than the red and blue calling in life, love and family. Though as Superior Hauser is always reminding the thrill seeking partners that hubris can be a dangerous thing after rescuing infants from a burning house, coming face to face with the big man of crime and surviving minor shoot outs Taylor and Zavala appear to think they're invincible. It's when the two hot headed heroes find a small weapons cache after a little digging, the pair have little heed for the danger that lies ahead. When the gangs start to realize the potential threat they pose, the days of dishing out parking tickets and neighborly disputes seem like a godsend as what seems like the whole of Los Angeles seedy underbelly is out for their blood.

Undoubtedly the shining stars here are Jake Gyllenhaal and Michael Penna as partners in fighting crime Taylor and Zavala. the onscreen bromance is a fun and emotional aswell as humerus and badass. When the time comes for each scenario you really feel like these two guys are brothers in blue and more importantly than that you feel like these guys are real living breathing people not just characters for a few hours, both actors really pull out the stops. Though the dynamic duo aren't the only characters to shine on screen as fellow cops David Harbour and America Ferara as Van Hauser and Orozco both giving brillant performances and again bringing that feel of another side to the police with both realism, humour and even heart at times. However if you want to talk about the heart of the film which is arguably the bromance between the leads you can also see how the respective lovers really loom over the narrative in their scenes and really build on our two heroes in the form of Natalie Martinez and Anna Kendrick as Gabby and Janet.

While it starts with the sense of a doc/drama, looks like a low budget Die Hard/Lethal Weapon from its trailers and seems like a weird hybrid of 21 Jump Street and The Other Guys, It's all of the above and at the same time none of them in any real capacity. It's shot in the sense of a self filmed movie at times so we can see the real heart and emotion which builds the later tension and action, while catching genuinely touching moments and comedic outbursts making it even more realistic. Yet at other times we cut to shots of pure action, gruesome shoot outs or brawls and dramatic rescues from blazing buildings  End of Watch is a film which brings out all it's qualities in full throttle though never tying itself to one lane and experimenting in different avenues the film isn't the most original piece of narrative but the way the narrative is given to us and the way the characters are developed swamps over that the instant the film begins. The great thing about End of Watch is that it really does cater to different genre junkies and film goers in general, offering comedy, action, emotion and even the occasional call out to old fashion romantics. Criminally it seems to have come in quietly at the end of 2012 and hidden among super spies, small Hobbits and Tom Cruise flicks it really has gone infuriatingly unnoticed by the some which is a real shame. End of Watch is definitely recommended viewing even with the big hitters still lingering it brings a powerful punch to easily contend and for what it lacks in recognition it makes up in its hard hitting impact with a engaging narrative and aspiring filming style.

9  /  10

FIN.

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