By elKay Takhel
There are buddy cop flicks and then there are buddy cop flicks. We are, all of us, more than familiar with the genre and the linear, almost predictable storyline. However, with all the photocopied plots and never-ending bromance, the genre almost never fails to entertain. The movie in question this week, is one of the better ones of the lot.
“End Of Watch,” I have learnt is a term used when an officer of the law gets slain in the line of duty. That pretty much sums up the whole movie for you, but not quite. In all the ways the movie is similar to the unending list of films in the genre, it still manages to hold its own, entertain and surprise in its own way. It manages to find the sweet spot between the territory familiar with fans and things that are still new to them. And in the end, manages to leave an aftertaste that’s not sour at all, not in the least. The end result being the fact that this is one of the best movies of the genre.
Like all films of the genre, past and future, the screen opens up to show two “buddy” cops on duty and then goes on to show the level and depth of their friendship. Taylor and Zavala played by Jack Gyllenhall and Michael Pena respectively play the lead characters as the ‘buddies.’ Taylor and Zavala are two Los Angeles Police Officers, who have been friends for a long time and almost like family to each other. Unlike other films where cops use their badges to run amok and go out hunting the bad folks cowboy style, the cop action here are kept slightly in touch with reality where the police is made accountable for their actions or inactions for that matter. But being “real” doesn’t mean that we are deprived of our rightful dosage of gore and on-screen gunfire.
Taylor is the more serious of the two; the organized person, who takes everything seriously, while Zavala his partner, is the one who breaks the ‘ice’ of seriousness. The two cops have their share of laughs when not in the line of duty but when called, they complete their work in all seriousness, honesty and with fierce intensity. They are in their own right the ‘heroes.’ They risk their limbs and more frequently, their lives in their ‘heroic’ line of work, to the extent of seeming preposterous at times that two policemen would face so much of action on their own so very frequently. But all this is forgiven in the name of cinematic liberty and masked by the excellent work of the actors, director and the tight execution of the tale.
The movie goes on to show Taylor’s new-found fascination with filming everything at work. Taylor and Zavala are transferred to a crime-infested part of LA where unwittingly they get deeply involved in conflict with the big fishes of the infamous Mexican Cartel. Things get more intense and the crimes more gory as they dig deeper into what they should have let lie, thus endangering themselves more than they already had which builds up the plot for the last act of the film.
David Ayer, the writer-director of this film and the well known “Harsh Times” deserves all the good word and accolades for a well-executed, almost plausible flick. He kept the storyline tight, plot intense, characters human and all this at a palatable pace. He has also been credited with films like “Training Day” and “The Fast and the Furious,” where also his job had been more than exquisite. The actors in the lead role Jack Gyllenhall and Michael Pena have also lived up to the expectations to the point where their performances didn’t feel like acting anymore; and they almost seem like real life police officers (on reality TV?). The supporting casts in the form of Natalie Martinez, Anna Kendrick, America Ferrera and Dan Houser have all been uitilized superbly and each one have all done their job without leaving any room for complaints.
I have had the joy of multiple viewing of this delightful piece of cinematic joy and I would advise anyone to do the same for they are not going to be disappointed, and that goes for you too dear reader. And like always, till we meet next, keep your eyeballs glued to the flickering screen.