"End Of Watch" : Diary Of A Bulletproof Friendship

Friendship is an essential part of the human existence as we are social beings, dependant on the validation of others, individuals that share our interests and who can relate to our experience. This bond is based on an unspoken mutual contract of trust, loyalty, and simply enjoying being around each other. When a friendship is tested  in an environment in which life is constantly at risk, then such friendship becomes a vital weapon to keep up with this lifestyle. What better example than two partners in the police force. Add to this the fact that these two partners work the toughest streets of Los Angeles, and that their lives have been given a price by a dangerous drug cartel. This sort of fraternal relationship is what Jake Gyllenhaal and Michael Pena play in the action-packed, marvelously entertaining, and nerve-racking film "End of Watch", which brings a total 21st century freshness  to "cop movies". With a mixture of first person "found footage" style and the classic third person approach, the story feels authentic mostly due to the stunning chemistry and performances of the two leads. The film transcends the crime genre status to become a film about two friends that love each other , and that happen to work risking their lives, and who really only have each other.

Officers Brian Taylor (Gyllenhaal) and Mike Zavala (Pena) are two cops who patrol the most crime infested neighborhoods of LA, they are faced daily with drug dealers, gangs, and the ultra dangerous organized Mexican drug cartels. Officer Taylor is taking a film class in school, and decides to document his everyday "routine", providing us with a privileged view to be right in the middle of the action. Taylor and Zavala unaware of how far things can go, start getting on to the trail of the activities of a dangerous cartel, perhaps bargaining for more that they can handle. As if dealing with junkies, houses burning down, and their romantic lives wasn't enough. Is in this complexities that the story becomes touching and a times very humane and funny. The fact that Zavala is Mexican and his bff/partner Taylor is Caucasian, brings to the table all sorts ridiculous racial stereotypes and comparisons that make the duo even more memorable. Proving that their friendship is grounded on more profound values that can overlook ethnicity or educational level. As their personal lives get more complicated with the arrival of children and marriage, it becomes all the more important for them to keep out of harm. However,  it might be too late to play it safe.

This is a great film on many different levels. For the first time in a long, long time I felt tense and at the edge of my sit when the showers of bullets and the action reached its peak. The way the film is shot throws the audience in between the shootings. It  doesn't lack in action , chases and violence, but it never feels to exploit this situations for the sake of mere entertainment. These plot points serve to develop a broader spectrum of what the "cop life" can be, not to glorify them or condone them, but to introduced them to us as human. Taylor and Zavala feel exposed, vulnerable, they are cops not superheroes, but they indeed have something special that is not seen among the rest of the police cast, or the criminals, they are friends. One feels like these are really the greatest of pals. They feel real while in the action and while they talk about their off the job problems. Their concerns about love, about children, about what the future holds. Gyllenhaal and Pena are specular, they play their parts with such naturality and ease, it seems as if the camera just captured a slice of life. An interracial bromance that goes deep into a life of service, and trying to keep afloat a normal life. Anna Kendrick is lovely as Taylor's love interest, providing a resting place for the officer's trouble. From start to finish an original piece of filmmaking that is as enjoyable as it is emotionally fulfilling.

Even with the sometimes excessive handheld camera movements, "End of Watch" is one of the best films I've seem this year. Original in its conception and flawlessly acted, it is a mainstream film that brings a new perspective to old scenarios. It is a fantastic combination of giving the audience something they will enjoy and still make a meaningful statement. Writer/ Director David Ayer say in an interview that what he really wanted to do was to make a film about friendship, and if one decodes, strips and rinses off the batches and guns, the film is exactly about that. Two friends. Moving, exhilarating, action-packed, and funny; this diary of a bulletproof friendship is definitely the pick of the week to watch. Out in theaters now. Grade A.