End Of Watch

Year: 2012

Grade: B+

Country: USA

Director: Ayer

Review

david ayer is pretty consistently and interesting writer to watch. lots of cop-centric stuff and usually takes place in LA. nothing he’s done has been amazing, but it’s generally safe to pencil in a b or b+ for one of his films. this one is no exception.

the two protagonists (gyllenhaal and pena) have great chemistry and are very well-written. by now it’s safe to say that ayer knows how to write for cops. brash, basically good, sometimes over the top and macho. a film like this is one of the reasons i keep coming to films – to see a day in the life of someone i don’t already know. i have a theory that a person will be a liberal if they watch enough movies. not because of some hollywood bias and indoctrination, but because, by experiencing the lives of others and walking in their shoes for a couple hours, you gain some degree of sympathy for what it is to live the life of a cop, soldier, poor person, black person, rich person, politician, etc. a good film shows you that it’s never as simple a job or position to be in as you might think.

Watched in theater