Distributor: Open
Road Films
Opening Weekend Box Office:
#1 with 13,152,683
Domestic Box Office
Gross to-date: $32,846,000
Gross Revenue: $32,846,000
Production Budget:
$7 million
Director: David Ayer
Though my list of favorite movies
has varied from time to time, one of the most constant entries on that list has
to be Training Day, so I was sold on End of Watch the second it was announced
that director/producer/writer David Ayer was involved, and Open Road Films
wisely used this fact to drive promotions for their September release. As for the talent in front of the camera,
even though he isn’t at the top of the list in terms of A-listers, with films
like The Day After Tommorow, Jarhead, and Zodiac, few can deny that Jake Gyllenhall has talent. And, even though he has flown under the radar
for years, Michael Peña has charmed audiences across a number of genres with
blockbusters like Crash, Shooter, 30 Minutes or Less, and Tower
Heist, so putting these two young actors together had definite potential;
and since both went through considerable training alongside the Los Angeles
Police Department for their roles, a considerable amount of realism was
guaranteed. The gripping trailer alone
should have been enough to sell potential audiences, but one factor also seemed
to guarantee success for End of Watch:
in the wake of the special-effects laden Summer Movie Season, simplifying
things with the found-footage format could entice audiences by promising a more
grounded and visceral cinematic experience.
Early critical reviews were highly positive, and I personally was very
curious to hear reaction from family friends who have served in the LAPD, so End of Watch was more than worthy of both
my time and attention.
Showcasing the brotherhood of law
enforcement far more strongly than any other entry in the police genre within
recent memory, End of Watch focuses
on the activities of officers Brian Taylor (Jake Gyllenhaal) and Mike Zavala
(Michael Peña), dedicated partners within the LAPD and close friends who have
worked with each other for years.
Officer Taylor is taking night classes in filmmaking and has decided to
document his police work, attaching small cameras to both his and his partner’s
uniforms in addition to carrying around a handheld camcorder. In addition to the numerous calls fielded by
the two officers, Taylor’s documentary also focuses on the families of the two
partners, with Taylor dating and marrying the brainy Janet (Anna Kendrick) and Zavala
welcoming his first child alongside his loving wife Gabby (Natalie Martinez). One day, while executing a seemingly-routine
traffic stop, Taylor and Zavala stumble across the human trafficking operations
of a notorious and brutal Mexican cartel, attracting the attention of powerful
drug lords. The leaders of the cartel
place a sizable bounty on the heads of the two young officers, leading several
gangsters to begin planning their assassination; not fully aware of the imminent
danger they now face, Taylor and Zavala must watch each other’s backs if they
hope to avoid being killed in the line of duty.
Though there are plenty of
gunfights and chase sequences to prove the validity of the found-footage format
outside of the horror genre, the truth is that the highly entertaining End of Watch is largely driven by the
performances of Gyllenhall and Peña.
Together, the two showcase a partnership and brotherhood that is far
stronger than anything that has ever been detailed in even the most revered of
buddy-cop films; you will become truly invested in the welfare of the
protagonists, and your loyalty will be rewarded with a surprisingly deep range
of emotion. The danger that Taylor and
Zavala face on a day-to-day basis is palpable and their reactions to that
danger are surprisingly genuine, but rather than take things too seriously, the
narrative does make considerable time to focus on the friendship between the
partners, one that is so blatantly honest you will find yourself laughing
hysterically quite often, and that kind of balance is brilliant. Even the albeit brief appearances of Anna
Kendrick and Natalie Martinez add weight and reality to the lives of the main
characters, thereby furthering the levels of humanity in the film that I
referenced in the “Short and Sweet” review.
Granted, some of the other elements within End of Watch pale in comparison to the performances of Gyllenhall
and Peña and the chemistry that the two share, but in no way do they weaken the
overall appeal of the film.
In addition to strong acting, End of Watch also delivers smart writing
and skilled direction, thereby making this newest action-drama altogether
surprising and a near-perfect addition to the genre. Director David Ayer demonstrates a mastery of
the found-footage format, fully enhancing the tension and danger of the
narrative by injecting the audience directly into the action; you will
undeniably be on the edge of the seat throughout the climactic and thoroughly
violent ending, an achievement that further adds validity to the use of the
unconventional filming style. As for the
writing, I already referenced the surprisingly high levels of humor within the
script, but in terms of driving the events of the film forward, some of the
plot elements end up being a little too convenient. Now, that shortcoming would have been far
more damaging to the overall quality of the film had it not been for the clever
and thoroughly gripping ending, one that offers a twist that is sure to floor
audiences as the story draws to a close…man, I sure as hell didn’t see that
final reveal coming, and it was ridiculously well-executed. In the end, all of these elements come
together to make End of Watch an
absolute must-see, one that will keep moviegoers talking for months and one
that is sure to demand some attention come awards season.
Though box office performance in
its entirety for the opening weekend of End
of Watch was relatively weak, as is usually normal for September, the
action-drama was able to drum up an impressive performance and narrowly beat
out House at the End of the Street
and Trouble with the Curve to earn
top spot with just over $13 million.
Now, those kinds of numbers aren’t exactly jaw-dropping, but when you take
the modest $7 million production budget into account, End of Watch’s numbers to-date represent a resounding success. Given the remarkably high quality of this
film and other September releases like Dredd
and Looper, you can expect overall
box office revenue to pick-up considerable momentum leading into late October
and November, when a bunch of Oscar sweethearts begin hitting theaters. And, with so many moviegoers growing tired of
3D entries, maybe End of Watch can
begin paving the way for more found-footage entries, or at least a renewed
emphasis on simpler and more original entries as opposed to special-effects
laden sequels. Needless to say, the bar
has been raised considerably for future cop dramas, and I will be at the front
of the line to pick up the Blu-Ray when it hits in a few months, but I don’t
recommend that anyone wait that long…get to the theater now!
