Starring: Jake Gyllenhaal, Michael Pena, Anna Kendrick, Frank Grillo, America Ferrera
Director: David Ayer
Rating: 4/5
The BFI London Film Festival is now in full swing and one of the movies that will be a major contender in the In Competition category is David Ayer's new film End Of Watch.
Police officers Taylor (Gyllenhaal) and Zavala (Peña) are partners and best friends. A night-school student in film production, Taylor affixes tiny cameras to his and Zavala’s uniforms to record their daily routines, collecting material for a short video about the real lives of the LAPD.
Life is good - until a seemingly routine vehicle check finds the pair stepping on the toes of powerful drug traffickers.
The cop movie seems to be Ayer's forte and once again he takes audiences on to the dark and mean street of LA.
And while we may find ourselves in familiar territory as viewers Ayer has delivered a completely different movie - gone are the corrupt cops replaced instead with two run of the mill beat officers who put themselves in the line of fire every single day.
And while the bad guys are not the boys in blue this doesn't stop the movie from being any less hard-hitting and gritty - which is just what we expect from an Ayer movie.
But the very heart of this film is a buddy movie as it follows the relationship and bond that has grown between two cops in the same squad care while they are on the front line.
And there is a fantastic rapport between Gyllenhaal and Pena - you truly believe that they would take a bullet for each other.
The movie does focus in on differences between the pair; a white American and a Hispanic but whilw they are culturally poles apart as well as having varying opinions and ideals the pair really do become brothers.
And the best comedy moments in the film come as the pair banter together - I am not sure how much of it was scripted but there is a real spontaneity in these moments that works really well.
But it is not just the great performances from the two lead actors that makes this movie so great but it is also the way that it has been filmed.
Gyllenhaal's character is documenting his work as a police officer and so immediately you are given the audience a first person view of what is happening.
And I know that we have seen loads of 'found footage' type movies but this is a technique that works really well here as it puts you right into the middle of the action and makes the movie incredibly visceral and real.
And it is this realism that makes End of Watch one of the best movies that I have seen so far this year.
This is not your average cop movie as Ayer really does take you down a path that you were not expecting.
The BFI London Film Festival runs 10-21 October.
End of Watch is released 23rd November.
Tagged in Jake Gyllenhaal BFI End Of Watch Michael Pena