All Critics (164)
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Top Critics (39)
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Fresh (140)
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Rotten (25)
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DVD (1)
Ayer and his cast appear to have so convincingly nailed the way these characters talk and act that you might not even notice the film slipping from workaday grit into out-and-out myth.
The actors, both excellent, get right into Ayer's groove. So by the time we arrive at the unsparing climax, we really know and care about these guys.
Gyllenhaal and Pena are after a lived-in camaraderie and a street-level realism. Pena, especially, succeeds; you buy him every second.
The performances here are so sharp that viewers may wish End of Watch has been shot by someone who knew how to find the right point of view for a scene and leave it there.
Both actors are marvelous -- this may be the most nuanced and far-ranging performance Gyllenhaal has ever given -- and writer-director David Ayer is unapologetically frank about the dangers these men face.
It's time to ride along with the LAPD through South Central, but this is no "Adam 12″. It's a realistic roller-coaster ride told with hand-held cameras and other devices.
David Ayer's End of Watch is an unflinching cop drama that uses the handheld approach to heighten the drama and escalate the tension.
The performances and chemistry of the lead and believable, improvised dialogue keep the drama grounded.
What gives it life are the performances of Gyllenhaal and Peņa. They emerge as beacons of friendship in a bleak world of barred windows, barking dogs and strutting gangsters.
It leaves you wondering -- who is filming the Gyllenhaal/Anna Kendrick love scenes?
Nicely balanced between savage violence and sweet human interactions, and it whips along at a brisk pace.
The street characters are played by a remarkable panoply of real-life types who speak in a thrilling, totally believable patois.
Planning on shooting your next movie handheld? Hoping for that realism dividend? Please read this first.
A strong sense of camaraderie sets this edgy police thriller apart from the crowd. And it's also a change of direction for writer-director David Ayer, who has explored the dark side of police corruption in Training Day, Harsh Times and Street Kings.
Both actors are first rate, their friendship palpable, their professional conduct (tempered by practical joking and youthful bravado) convincing.
If I was a big-city American policeman watching this, I would also wonder just whose side Ayer is on. I'd be more nervous about going to the work the next day. Not less.
Ayers's warmest film to date finds meaning and depth in its "I love you, man" exchanges and rarely goes too long without staging some daring detective work and videogame ultraviolence.
One to watch, but through narrowed eyes.
Writer and director David Ayer has created a pair of real, untainted heroes - which makes this a rare cinematic treat you have to watch. End of.
The two leading performances are exemplary in their honesty and good-heartedness, with Gyllenhaal in particular showing why he's a star.
Srong on character and atmosphere but weak on story and excitement.
78%
39%
12%
Top Critic
Aside from the kinetic energy and cinematography, assured direction, at times shocking brutality and award-worthy screenplay, what elevates "End of Watch" is the career best performances from Jake Gyllenhaal and especially (the Oscar snubbed) Michael Peņa. They give the film surprising heart, and we buy their relationship and workplace motivations.
Uncommonly gripping film heightened by visceral action and a powerful conclusion.