End of Watch: Decent, not Great Buddy-Cop Film with Aesthetic Issues

I have to admit: I expected this movie to be pretty bad. I'm very opposed to the seemingly trending visual style of "found footage", and by the trailer, it was more than clear that this was the approach End of Watch was taking. I was somewhat pleasantly surprised with the film, but is it worth a watch?

Let me start by saying I completely changed my opinion of this film by the end of it. About 3 quarters of the way through, I was around a 2.5, but things really pick up in the film toward the end: emotionally and dramatically. There are a few things I really liked about this film, the biggest being the partnership of Jake Gyllenhaal and Michael Pena's characters. Fantastic chemistry here. There's a perfect balance of arguments, ball-busting, and serious conversation to be had here. I feel safe saying this is one of the best buddy-cop match ups EVER. There are quite a few laughs in this movie, which is rare in such a dark film. I liked Anna Kendrick in this (mostly because she is my current Hollywood crush). There was also a healthy balance of work and personal life, which in turn contributed to the great character development in this film. I felt myself REALLY caring about what happens to these characters, which is a rare feeling when you watch as many movies as I do. I was also pleasantly surprised with how emotionally charged this film was, especially at the end. Great performances from Gyllenhaal and Pena make this film good.

I won't elaborate on the many reasons why I am so opposed to the "found footage" approach, but I will say that one of those reasons is that it is so overused. Project X, Cloverfield, and Paranormal Activity are three films in recent memory that try and fail using this method. This film did a slightly better job at using this technique, but like all "found footage" films, I was left feeling dizzy nauseous. That is my biggest issue with this film. This easily could have been one of my favorite films of the year, but the use of this choppy, shaky shooting style takes away from the sophistication of the story. I can see how they were going for the "Cops" look, which could've been done better as TV show, but for film, this is a style that shouldn't be used. This also caused issues throughout the film because we were being beat over the head about where cameras were, and there were one too many "get that camera out of my face" moments. The documentary style seemed forced, and that definitely hurt the score for this film.

In conclusion, if the shaky-cam doesn't bother you, this is a good buddy-cop film that has a serious take on the drug war and is very emotional. Great performances from the leads helps distract you from the aesthetic problems in this film, but you will still leave the theater wishing you watched a "film" rather than a bunch of splices of footage. Recommended for buddy-cop and crime fans.

MY RATING:

3 out of 5

-Kevin A. Millward