Two things I am tired of in movies are the hand-held "I am taking this film" technique and the inability of a half dozen people at point blank range with military grade weapons being until to hit their target. If you love cop films you might like this one, but I found it tedious.

End Of Watch is a very fun, brilliantly directed movie. It has been said that team cop movies suck and 21 jump street proved that they don't but End Of Watch is a great new idea with guns, gangsters, and blood. With the makers of Training Day making the film, you know it's a professional film and it is. With its 90 minutes of rollicking, cheesy flicking action this film is superb for a night out with friends.… Expand

an awesome movie i loved every second of it probably the best police movie i have seen in a long time and i'm gonna watch it again and again on a smaller screen.

Although End of Watch manages to avoid most of the typical cliches associated with the genre of law enforcement movies, there is still loose cannon & family man- pair around. The movie is worth seeing but I think I would have been better off watching the old episodes of Cops instead.

An absolutely generic police-drama, buddy-film with good performances, but without originality. There is nothing here we have not seen before in these type of movies.

I really enjoyed the two leads. Their chemistry makes this movie as good as it is. Anna Kendrick is also in this film and is good as always. Overall though if the leads weren't as good as they were this movie would suffer.

Even tho I didnt hate this movie I didnt particularly enjoy it as much as I thought I would. It just seemed juvenile and the story was mediocre at best. The camera shots and action were great and the ending was the best part in the movie. But everything leading up to it was boring childish banter between the two officers. The worse thing about the movie beside the nonsensical plot was the absurd language in this film. Its like the only words in the script were f**ck this and f**ck that every second throughout the film. It gets f**king annoying hearing it over and over and over again. In short if you enjoy good cop movies with a good story look elsewhere. However if u like movies with nonsensical plots and an insane amount of profanity youll love this movie… Expand

End of Watch is one of the best cop films I've ever seen and it all starts with the fantastic cast. Jake Gyllenhaal and Michael Peña are both incredible actors and the supporting cast is just as great. Because of the entire cast's acting ability, the emotion and drama felt real and authentic and really pulled you in. The action sequences were also done really well. You felt the intensity tthrough the realism and the emoting and it really made you get on the edge of your seat at times. I also felt the the plot developed really well. Yes, the movie dragged a bit about two-thirds in but that was necessary for the development of the characters and their relationships. Without that portion, you may not care as much so I do not hold that against the movie. The only things that I do think brought the movie down were the extreme overuse of the shaky camera effect and some of the editing of scenes felt too episodic. When you're starting to almost feel a bit dizzy because the camera is shaking so much, I'm pretty sure that means dial it back a bit. I understand that there are plenty of handheld cameras used in the film as part of the plot but those are not the examples I'm referring to. The only other thing I felt was worth mentioning was the blatant foreshadowing in the film. There's a particular scene that essentially spoils the ending. I'm sure not everyone caught it but when I saw the scene I practically threw my hands into the air because I knew right then and there how the movie would end. I'm aware that directors love these little foreshadowing elements because it adds a certain level of cinematic quality but they're supposed to be subtle. Overall though, I'd say that this was a great movie and one that most people, at least those not easily offended by vulgar language and violence, would enjoy.… Expand

Filmed in the style of "found footage" (REC., Blair Witch Project), this police thriller/drama is all about the everyday life of two policemen.

What I liked: The characters were likeable and the acting was great. You really feel like you are getting to know the characters more and more.The movie itself was never boring and the action sequences were well done and thrilling.

What I didn't like: The antagonists ("the gang") seemed too forced, making it less realistic.… Expand

I like the actors who star in this film. I really do. I find some of the scenes well done and well performed. What the movie wants to say can be slightly interesting. But overall it is really boring. It feels way longer than what it is. Nobody in the whole theater seemed to enjoy it. It becomes a little bit more emotional towards the end, but it can´t save the film overall. Nice try, but jjust that, a try. I give it a better score than what I give to the typical crappy action films which don´t have any decent thing to say. But just that.… Expand

This movie manages to have a completely unreastic and a realistic feel at the same time. A very good cop movie. The only problem is the partners are a little too nice to each other. Like their trying to push the friendship too hard to lead to more emotion. Comes of as a little cheap.

I found these two cops quite annoying with their lame, childish banter. The acting is fine but the dialouge seems a little unrealistic in parts. Not as gritty as it could be. I got bored and switched it off. Doesn't come close to a single episode of the Shield. Dissapointing

A good LA Police Department movie using the reality film point of view (although not overdone). A Bromance movie about 2 low level LAPD cops who get in over their head. In summary, it is a good story that show that in the end friendships and family are most important. It does a great job a showing parallels between the police vs. gang life (they are not that different). Good vs. Evil was well documented and shows that everyone wants to move up the food chain. The movie make you feel sad in parts where you know they pulled the story-lines from actual police reports.… Expand

This a decent film, its gritty but ultimately it has an easily predictable ending. It's a good action / pseudo documentary film about 2 cops who are partners that find situation after situation of dealing with the worst criminals humanity has to offer in south central LA.

Intense, vulgar, disturbing. End of Watch is an unexpectedly over-the-top shoot-em-up, comparable to an episode of Southland on cocaine. Too soon through the movie does the language just get annoying, and the ridiculous lack of common sense the cops have questions the movie's reflection of the LAPD. Gyllenhaal is barely able to save this movie. 63/100

End of Watch merges an uninspired genre and a tired technique that both miraculously contribute to the reason why the film itself is worth seeing. The genre, first and foremost, is the buddy cop film, which, I believe, needs no introduction, and the technique is the unsteady camera employed by either Jake Gyllenhaal's character's handheld camcorder or the camera found on the front of real police cruisers. Merging these two cliches in film seem like a recipe for failure, but when we realize that End of Watch doesn't capitalize off either of those things, we have a good feeling that this film is headed in a better, brighter, more aesthetically and narratively fluent direction.

The story concerns Jake Gyllenhaal's Brian Taylor and Michael Peña's Miguel Zavala, two South Central Los Angeles police officers, who see more action in one day than most police officers see in their lifetime. They are the enemy of almost everyone in the area they work in, and due to their extensive rabble-rousing in the station and on the streets together, are looked down upon by the remainder of the police department. Their first call is a public disturbance one, and the two men are met with a tall, ominous figure called "Tre," who instigates Zavala into fighting. He accepts and after a merciless brawl between the two men, Tre is taken in for public disturbance, not attacking a police officer. Just on that note alone, I knew this wasn't going the traditional way of cop dramas.

The fact is the story is much deeper. While it focuses a lot on the day-to-day lives of the two officers, writer/director David Ayer (S.W.A.T. and Training Day) explores the outside lives of these two men. Taylor, an ex-Marine who has had a rugged and sketchy dating life, is currently dating the sweet and smiley Janet (Anna Kendrick of Pitch Perfect fame, who has silently grown up in this role), while Zavala, on the other hand, is attached to his wife Gabby (Natalie Martinez). The film explores just how deep of a relationship these men have with one another, and how their personal relationships go on to experience notable ups, unfortunate downs, and the sporadic energy and nerve-wracking uncertainty involved with being a cop in one of the roughest neighborhoods in the country.

Yet as a cop drama, the film must fulfill the obligation of having some sort of added tension, which in this case is a gang involved with serious drug cartels. Part of this obligation is fulfilled by having concise insight into the gang life, while the rest is achieved by somewhat suspenseful car chases and thrillingly impressive shootouts. I tire easily from these petty additions, but in End of Watch they are used efficiently and work well to the point of being almost more than tacked-on pot boiler effects.

I believe this is largely thanks to the use of the shaky cam, which contributes to the added effect of realism and suspense. Viewers and opponents of the gimmick will be happy to be informed that the film is only about 25% or 30% documentary-style, and we are, too, provided with numerous different camera angles, one of which, the under-used aerial shot of Taylor and Zavala's cruiser speeding through South Central L.A. The lasting effect is only enhanced by the fuel the humanism brings to the story, resulting in a deeper and more substantial endeavor than just your average summer action movie. By allowing the characters to have more of a human setup and the action to take on a more stylistic approach, there is a nice lack of perfunctory criminal/heist plot and an absence of repetitive serious cop banter. By having numerous little calls result in one big mission for our characters makes this far more interesting and uncertain than one big mission spread out through the course of a near two hour film.

End of Watch tacks on the ending we sort of saw coming, but Ayer shies away from exploiting it unhealthily. If we feel anything, it's definitely not heavy-handed sentimentality, and if we remember anything, we recall the wonderful chemistry had by the two charming and valuable leading men. It should definitely be noted that two great performances were overlooked during this year's award season.

Starring: Jake Gyllenhaal, Michael Peña, Anna Kendrick, Nadine Martinez, and America Ferrera. Directed by: David Ayer.… Expand

End of Watch is a brilliant and rare police film that makes you love the characters and leaves a true impact on its audience. I didn't know what I was going to think of the movie before watching since the trailer couldn't describe the genius behind what the film is all about. It shows the hardships that police officers must go through every day, and now I have a much better understanding of what it… Expand

In my opinion, there are two different types of Police Dramas. The first being where the Police hunt for and find the suspects of a certain crime. The generic story really. Then there is the second type. This being where the suspects or thugs or whatever you want to call them hunt for the Police Officers and eventually, depending on what movie you're watching, either capture them or kill them. When I started watching End of Watch, I imagined something along the lines of The Town, but from the Cop's point of view. What I got was something I wasn't expecting, in a good way. End of Watch follows the story of two Officers in the LAPD, who are, safe to say, the best of friends. Gyllenhaal and Pena are a great set of actors, in a great setting. The duo shine like a star in End of Watch, and I honestly became attached to these two and their bromance. The story is a little on the vague side. Gyllenhaal and Pena uncover a great deal of human-trafficking and drug distribution within a Mexican drug cartel based out of South Central, Los Angeles. Now that the cartel's operations have been publicly exposed, they want the two dead. Although the story seems a little cliche and generic, they play off of it very well. And the sad, but good ending ties it all together to be a great experience. This movie is heavily recommended.… Expand

this jerky camera crap was old with blair witch; unless you're 13 or enjoy that nonsense, give this film a skip. oh and if the excuse is "hey it's cause they're video-taping themselves" then get a camcorder and go out and make your own film; you couldn't do any worse than this.

End of Watch is not only an emotionally interactive, episodic slice of realism and well done film for its very low budget, it is a gem among its sub-genre of non-horror found footage films.

I had no idea Anna Kendrick was in this movie. She is a doll with her pearly whites. I thought the movie gave us the fact that cops are human. Some truly are out there in the streets to do the right thing. This film showed us that they have families, and they struggle seeing death everyday. I enjoyed Gyllenhaal and Pena's performances. Having to keep the peace in the hood ain't easy. Just like some soldiers never come home from deployments alive. Some cops never make it home alive from the streets. Thumbs up! Check it out if you haven't yet.… Expand

Great movie, one of the best i saw last year, superb acting for the two main characters, Anna Kendrick is amazing in the few minutes she plays, the movie is intense, fun, dramatic all at once. Occasionally it revives some of the shield atmoshere, and the feeling is great. Only the end isn't matching the greatness of the rest but you can survive it. A must to watch.

David Ayer writer of SWAT, Training Day and Dark Blue cranks out another cop movie...and it's probably the best of the bunch. End of Watch is sort of a 'behind the scenes' of the world of police men and the brotherhood between them. Gyllenhaal & Pena give great an believable performances in this low budget (7m$) film shot on a range of DSLR's, GoPro's en SI-2K's. A good watch if you like cop films.… Expand

Mostly shot in a first person point of view giving way to a more realistic yet very shaky imagery, it started off by giving us short bursts/stories in the lives of the two cops and at first it felt it was going nowhere fast. However, as the movie went on, I started to realise that each story was merely a piece of a puzzle to help describe the protagonists through their daily actions which inevitably define who they truly are.… Expand

This film is a tribute to all cops just doing there job. I was completely blown away at the end. Having watched so many action movies this was really refreshing and real.

loved the movie!

It was difficult for me to to watch an amazingly talented actor like J. G. trudge his way through this extended episode of 'Cops'. He is the movie's only saving grace amidst a poorly written screenplay that feels cliché and strips the LAPD of an opportunity to be depicted somewhat accurately in a fictional setting. Yes, it's gunfights and bro-banter entertain, but are lost in a plot that is forgettable and disappointing.… Expand

I watched the movie not knowing what to expect when the main characters were playing completely different type of roles than usual. It chronicled the lives of two cops caught in the war zone of crime, gangs, drugs, and violence and kept a light humor even during the worst scenes. The two young officers, their family involvement, their wives, the job, their fellow officers, personality profiles were set early and the action went from one dramatic scene to the next with gang bangers and street people actively involved in every aspect of their city's subculture. If you aren't ready for violent action, you might want to pass on this. Every minute there was constant action, dialogue, this movie had no dead air time with nothing but scenery. During the non action moments it was full of banter between the two about everything from their families to their sex lives. Some comedy but mostly drama and action.… Expand

This movie is so bad, it is beyond bad. It is basically unwatchable. When every second word in the script is the F word, it makes you want to turn off the sound. The script seems to have been written by a 14 year old. The acting is atrocious. The photography is nauseating. How can anyone sit through the entire length of this shameful attempt ?

Best Movie of the Year, Period. 5 or 6 years down the line, ask any cop about his fav movie and there's a good chance that it's gonna be this one. One of the best Guy/Buddy movies of all times.

I didn't know what to expect after I heard of this movie but in the end I loved it.
Good jokes, good acting, I loved the camera work.
Very well done for a movie with a little budget.

Brilliantly shot, written, and directed, "End Of Watch" is a thrilling cop drama with some excellent performances from Gyllenhaal and Pena.

It is really a thrilling cop movie that i have not seen for a while. Excellent acting and directing all the way. I cannot complain about it, i really loved it and felt the characters. If you think this movie is not a good cop movie, or an action/drama movie, well... looks like you have some brain issues.

Very entertaining to watch, well worth seeing for anyone who likes the thriller/action or drama genre. Basically what TravisFinn said sums it up well.

Entertaining because of the ferocious energy with which it is shot and the two charismatic leads, which more than make up for the film's shortcomings in plot.

You know how Training Day was a gritty well written neo-realistic law enforcement drama....well End of Watch isn't. It falls short, real short. Honestly, I fell asleep in the movie. Combination of bad writing, horrible cinematography, tired scenes of LA, and too much popcorn.

End of Watch is a thrilling action drama film incorporating the elements of hand-held footage. What

Awesome film, love the camera work. The acting is natural, and the storyline is compelling. Many scenes put me on the edge of my seat, and I would gladly watch this film again.

I find the critic and audience score for this movie was overrated. But I must admit it's one of good movie. Tearjerking ending and captivated performance by Jake Gyllenhaal and Anna Kendrick. But I don't find it's one good example of found footage entry.

Not being the biggest fan of Jake Gyllenhaal, I was a bit skeptical about whether or not I would like this movie before I saw it. After seeing it I must say I enjoyed it allot. His acting is pretty good in this film. The camera movement is a little choppy at times but the way the movie pieces together was interesting. Lots of action and violence. All in All a solid movie.

End of Watch was so good I was literally sweating from the tense moments it gives you through out this film. The most compelling aspect is the two lead characters, who cannot possibly have more chemistry together and deliver Oscar worthy performances. It's the best performances by these two lead actors who you believe are actual cops. The story makes you care so much for these two that you don't wan't anything to happen to them and you will utterly despise the ghetto gangsters. It has the most hysterical moments between two cops in a movie and then drops you in a hard hitting dramatic scene. The "found-footage" film making style is supposed to make you emotionally impacted and it does that so uniquely well which is unlike most "found-footage" movies. They show some scenes that are so disturbingly authentic which you would otherwise hear about in the news. This is written and directed by David Ayer , who also wrote Training Day, and Harsh Times. This is by far his best work yet. I was very blown away by how well this was written, directed, and acted. It's the best movie I've seen in months. I now have more respect for cops than I ever did.… Expand

I was totally taken off guard by this movie! I honestly wasn't expecting a whole lot out of it, but man it surprised me! Sure the whole found footage concept is getting old, but if you take that concept and combine it with the concept of "C.O.P.S.", you get this: One solid, dynamic, and certainly interesting and different action film! With powerhouse performances from Jake Gyllenhaal and Michael Pena, their partnership in this movie will leave you rooting for each one of them until the film's final minutes are up. The action is well paced, well developed, tense, and sure to entertain the biggest of die-hard fans of action. It kept me on the edge of my seat the entire time. Summing up, it's a film that has it all! Action, drama, humor, romance, you name it! It's one of the most entertaining and involving action films I've seen all year, and certainly one of the far superior cop films I've seen in a LONG time! HIGHLY recommended!!!… Expand

End of Watch is the big sorprise of this year -in my opinion- the story can have a simple development, but when the movie start you watch that have an intelligent development, and the performances of the cast are awesome, the script can have some mistakes, but is not much. End of Watch is interesting, funny and is a sorprise.

Great movie (would have given it a 7 but took off one star for the following) but DON'T SIT CLOSE TO THE SCREEN (or rent it on DVD) if you are prone to motion sickness, like I am. Halfway through the movie, due to the way it is filmed with lots of camera panning I felt somewhat nauseous and kept hoping it would go away. However, the style of filming persists throughout the movie, so either sit far away or take some Dramamine before you go (I would recommend a half pill). It took me about a half hour after it ended before I felt okay again.… Expand

There's been much noise out there about this piece of filmmaking cinematic history. I actually read somewhere a mention of "Training Day" in the same sentence as "End of Watch." Well, let's put our two cents out there... Even, both films share the same scribe, This is not, in any way shape or form, remotely in the category of "Training Day", and all that noise about this film, well, let's save it for something else worth barking about.
I was actually baffled to find myself reacting this way to this movie, since David Ayer has a long list of cool movies to his credit. I guess everyone missed a home run here and there. And, then again, this is just my two cents...
Swimming somewhere deep in the current idiotic trend to shoot movies with video cameras the filmmakers found what barely passes for inspiration as a visual theme. Bring a bottle of Advil with you. The camera work is in deed that bad.
But if the imagery wasnt bad enough of an insult to the audience's intelligence, don't waste your time finding any character development or plot evolution. This is a linear one way ride into what can be best described as an exercise in boredom.
And, no, shooting Mexicans for the same tired old reason we've all seen before, and exchanging a never ending repartee of pointless dialogue in a patrol car, does not pass for creative thinking.… Expand

Really liked this movie, but what I really enjoyed was how you felt attached to all the characters. I love action films, but one of the main flaws is that beyond shooting and killing, there is no story behind them, but that was not the case here. Hell, even the bad guys had a story behind them. Great character development and acting led to an atypical cop drama, but it was still great.

Weak story line, poor photography, mellow dramatic glorification of cops and gangs. It has been done many times before and done better. Nothing new here and nothing like the Movie Trailer. Absolute waste of time

I guess with all of the bad publicity the LAPD has been receiving in the news recently, it was inevitable that someone in Hollywood had to come up with the concept of a 100% pro-cop movie like

Amazing movie. Great action, great acting all the way through. Well written. I enjoyed it far more than The Master which is getting all the rave reviews lately. Toward the end there is a bit of subtle foreshadowing, but the ending is still somewhat unexpected.

This movie is horrible. It starts out as a ripoff of the movie "Colors" and then the plot scatterbrains down different paths from there. Predictable, trite, inconsequential, unimportant, and annoying are some of the adjectives that come to mind when describing this awful attempt at cinematography. There are a few chuckles mixed among the ridiculous garbage. Don't waste your time on this nonsense.

This was a purely great film. Great performances delivered into a great story. It was thrilling, it was hilarious, and it was dramatic. The only issue i had with gthe movie was the annoyance of the switching of cameras, i wanted them to just stick to one but it kept switching but after a ways into the film i got used to it but other than that this movie was great. Im not a big fan of Jake Gyllenhaal or Michael Pena fan but they were both perfect and hilarious in this film, they're "brotherhood" was so strong which made the film so much better because of how well they blended together. If you don't like violence or alot of strong language then don't bother with End of Watch, but if not then you must see this! Its well worth your money and your time! 9.5/10… Expand

Not since Training Day has a movie grown above the cliche'd cop storylines, and Ayer is a master of this genre. This is by far his best work, and it's a heartbreaker. Look for Gyllenhall this Oscar season.

Jake Gyllenhaal and Michael Peña are cop partners riding rough neighborhoods in LA. We get to know them mostly through their snappy banter in the patrol car, while most of the action is purportedly shot through their own cameras. We ride along as they encounter minor and major crimes, but also watch them interact with their fellow officers and their women. This camerawork and editing have a big-budget grittiness that keeps the film rooted in reality, but doesn't get in the way. Performances are outstanding and David Ayer's directorial style has become even more sophisticated, while staying "street." A solid film with modern sensibilities.… Expand

Wow! I was pretty blown away by this! Great movie. Gyllenhall and Pena are amazing together. Fantastic cop movie, though the one negative for me was that there were some extremely grisly, upsetting scenes. One scene in particular affected me more than I can remember any scene in a movie affecting me in a long time(though I am kind of a wuss in that regard!). Definitely not something to take the kids to. But a really good movie.… Expand

This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. There were racist jokes, a gold-plated AK-47, a man who survives being stabbed in the eye with a knife. There's simply not enough of that in movies. Also, the bad guys were cast well. Big Evil plays big evil very well.… Expand

It is good but left me struggling to think whether to recommend it. The middle slows down a bit while the ending is solid. Be prepared for the handheld camera moves that work for awhile... then your eyes tire and you have to look away just to focus. it has many great parts to it.

A great tribute to cops! The film is very realistic but the wavering candid camera photography almost made one of my buddies carsick. The situations are believable and thrust the spectator into the routine rituals and the bizarre situations that cops must face in a major city. The only problem is the ending....for such a well-acted film with a graphically realistic concept, the ending is too melodramatic and almost unbelievable.… Expand

This film humanizes cops. Excellent movie! The movie contains a lot of criminal trends. It may seem fake to a lot of people but the truth is that what this movie contains in it is reality. When watching this movie people may say "that doesn't happen" the truth is that it does. I will watch this movie again in the next couple of days!!!

After having just finished the 5th season of The Shield, I was skeptical that such a short feature would be able to capture the feeling of a small division within the LAPD. Instead, the film focuses on the chemistry and relationship between it's two leads, who are terrific in this film. There are more than a few genuinely funny moments, but there are also a few extremely intense and graphically violent scenes. Yet the nature of the unique relationship between the officers is what you leave the film with.… Expand

Excellent film. Spot on performances by the main cast and secondary characters. Fresh take on the buddy cop film. More a character study of the two main subjects than focusing on the plot, which is fairly straight forward. Many of the incidents during the film don't get explained to any extent, and some characters pop into the film and then disappear without much information about them The pacing is really good but the camera work is not always successful. The over use of the hand held, shaky cam reduces the film to an episode of Southland and certain times. This is film, not TV. A bit of a splatter fest at times. A must see if you're into this genre of film.… Collapse