End of Watch
Two young officers are marked for death after confiscating a small cache of money and firearms from the members of a notorious cartel during a routine traffic stop.
What critics thought
End of Watch earned strong but not unanimous praise, with Gyllenhaal and Peña's chemistry and performances drawing consistent admiration across the critical spectrum. The film's handheld, found-footage aesthetic was sharply contested — some found it immersive and character-deepening, others dismissed it as a gimmick that undermines credibility. A further fault line ran through the film's politics: critics who welcomed its ground-level humanity clashed with those who found its idealized portrait of the LAPD sanctimonious and its depiction of minority gang members troublingly one-dimensional.
“one of the best police movies in recent years, a virtuoso fusion of performances and often startling action”
Roger Ebert·Chicago Sun-Times
“a collection of cop-movie clichés but presented with sufficient flair and strong performances that the ride is enough, even if it's on rails”
Olly Richards·Empire
“the tactic fatally substitutes photo realism for fauxto realism”
Richard Corliss·Time
“Gyllenhaal and Peña so completely reinvent themselves in-character. Instead of wearing the roles like costumes or uniforms, they let the job seep into their skin.”
Peter Debruge·Variety
“Ayer and his cast appear to have so convincingly nailed the way these characters talk and act that you might not even notice the film slipping from workaday grit into out-and-out myth.”
Bilge Ebiri·New York
Genres
Action, Crime, Drama
Cast & Crew
David AyerDirector
Jake GyllenhaalBrian Taylor
Michael PeñaMike Zavala
Natalie MartinezGabby Zavala
Anna KendrickJanet Taylor
David HarbourVan Hauser
Frank GrilloSarge
America FerreraOfficer Orozco
Cody H. CarolinOfficer Davis
Gene HongOfficer Cho
Cle SloanMr. Tre
Roman VasyanovCinematographyEnd of Watch
Two young officers are marked for death after confiscating a small cache of money and firearms from the members of a notorious cartel during a routine traffic stop.
What critics thought
End of Watch earned strong but not unanimous praise, with Gyllenhaal and Peña's chemistry and performances drawing consistent admiration across the critical spectrum. The film's handheld, found-footage aesthetic was sharply contested — some found it immersive and character-deepening, others dismissed it as a gimmick that undermines credibility. A further fault line ran through the film's politics: critics who welcomed its ground-level humanity clashed with those who found its idealized portrait of the LAPD sanctimonious and its depiction of minority gang members troublingly one-dimensional.
“one of the best police movies in recent years, a virtuoso fusion of performances and often startling action”
Roger Ebert·Chicago Sun-Times
“a collection of cop-movie clichés but presented with sufficient flair and strong performances that the ride is enough, even if it's on rails”
Olly Richards·Empire
“the tactic fatally substitutes photo realism for fauxto realism”
Richard Corliss·Time
“Gyllenhaal and Peña so completely reinvent themselves in-character. Instead of wearing the roles like costumes or uniforms, they let the job seep into their skin.”
Peter Debruge·Variety
“Ayer and his cast appear to have so convincingly nailed the way these characters talk and act that you might not even notice the film slipping from workaday grit into out-and-out myth.”
Bilge Ebiri·New York
Genres
Action, Crime, Drama
Cast & Crew
David AyerDirectorJake GyllenhaalBrian TaylorMichael PeñaMike ZavalaNatalie MartinezGabby ZavalaAnna KendrickJanet TaylorDavid HarbourVan HauserFrank GrilloSargeAmerica FerreraOfficer OrozcoCody H. CarolinOfficer DavisGene HongOfficer ChoCle SloanMr. TreRoman VasyanovCinematography