It could be said that David Ayer is known for gritty, action-packed films that often keep the audience on the edge of their seat, waiting for what exciting moment will happen next. He often balances the intensity of his films and his characters with humor (sometimes dark) that effectively allows the audience to, while still anticipating what’s to come, take a deep breath and exhale comfortably. End of Watch embodies these characteristics and adds an entirely new level of intensity due to the fact that the events taking place in the film mimic reality in many ways. The film follows two police officers, Brian Taylor (Jake Gyllenhaal) and Mike Zavala (Michael Peña), through their average life as police officers in one of the more dangerous precincts in Los Angeles. While the actual plot of the film isn’t truly understood until the last forty-five minutes, or so, the fun-loving personalities of the two protagonists and their somewhat juvenile behavior allows the film to be fun and flow smoothly. The action does not pick up until the end of the film, however, it is the camaraderie, along with the acting, that makes the film so enjoyable. The slew of inside jokes, the brotherhood and the general relationship that Taylor and Zavala have provides drama, comedy and an understanding of the hardships that police officers (especially in dangerous neighborhoods) go through. The fact that Taylor carries a video camera and that much of the film is captured through that lense allows everything that takes place in the film to feel more personal and more realistic than it would if it had been filmed by a third party. I thought that this film effectively captured the day-to-day of police officers, but even better captured the fraternity that they are a part of. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1855199/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1
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