On Friday I went out to see End of Watch with Jake Gyllenhaal and Michael Pena in a cop buddy movie set in LA, from the writer of Training Day. It’s filmed in almost documentary form and can be jumpy and hard to follow at times in terms of the action. Some seemingly haphazard and unrelated events occur which provide context for our officers and you see what they are doing over a stretch of time. They work well together and it shows the more human side of this job. You and I see a uniform. These are guys who live and breath the mean streets on a daily basis and put themselves in harm’s way for those who show them contempt more often than not.
The actors have a great rapport and talk like young officers would. They have some good male banter between them and share in thoughts on life while continually backing each other up. They see and experience some unreal things. They find themselves in a serious larger event that impacts their lives more than they would ever suspect. Some seemingly innocuous meetings with various people have impacts later on in the film. It is tied together well and you want these two guys to succeed. They are likeable if not downright scary in certain circumstances.
I am glad that I saw it. I will not disclose more in the plot than what I have shared. This is a movie to experience with very little understanding about what’s going to take place. It is more impactful that way for sure.
Mondays With Robbie 