End of Watch

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End of Watch

R

2012

1h 49m

Crime

Drama

Action

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Watchlist

Watchlist

Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

85%

Tomatometer

181 Reviews

86%

Popcornmeter

50,000+ Ratings

Longtime LAPD partners and friends, Brian Taylor (Jake Gyllenhaal) and Mike Zavala (Michael Peña) patrol one of the most dangerous neighborhoods in Los Angeles. Though they may bend the rules, their honor and dedication to the job are unquestioned. Taylor and Zavala always have each other's back, even if Taylor's surreptitious filming of their daily activities for a college course is a bit ill-advised. All hell breaks loose for the officers when they run afoul of a vicious Mexican cartel.

Critics Consensus

End of Watch has the energy, devotion to characters, and charismatic performances to overcome the familiar pitfalls of its genre and handheld format.

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Wendy Ide

The Times (UK)

02/27/2023

This abrasive and brilliant Los Angeles cop drama contains two exceptional male-lead performances.

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Francesca Steele

Independent (UK)

08/11/2017

This is the thinking man's action movie, a cop flick that takes us off the beaten track. Above all, though, it is a bromance.

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Bilge Ebiri

New York Magazine/Vulture

01/08/2013

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.

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Matt Brunson

Film Frenzy

Feb 2

3.5/4

An intense, exciting, and emotionally draining picture.

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Jeff Beck

The Blu Spot

Jan 21

3.5/5

End of Watch is a surprisingly effective cop drama that rises on the strengths of its well-balanced screenplay, which fleshes out its characters quite well, and the strong, compelling performances from leads Jake Gyllenhaal & Michael Pena.

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Brian Eggert

Deep Focus Review

09/25/2022

3/4

Though Ayer’s screenplay resorts to some of the clichés we associate with the genre, the performances are so strong that we hardly care.

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Dean S.

@DeanDFW Apr 11

Kind of unbelievable situations for two cop buddies in LA: it’s ok, hardly an amazing movie.

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Jack F

@MovieFan111 Mar 3

Solid cop movie, especially for a buddy one. It's like "Let's be Cops" but a little more serious (although it is good for a handful of laughs). It has shaky camerawork throughout the whole thing which I thought was interesting. It balances good acting, comedy and the grittiness of the street.

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Christian B.

@EL1TEcbom Feb 24

This movie felt like I was riding along with the two cops. The acting made this feel so real. Writing was brilliant. I was not ready to be emotional.

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Kirill M.

@kirillmaslov171 Feb 10

Брат брату брат.....

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Guillermo A

@Guillermo.Almeida Feb 10

Great story, characters, acting and visuals are bad.

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Jack S

@RT58840043 Jan 31

This one is both well made (except for the annoyingly giddy camera movements) and performed. But, the "man-love" frequently expressed by the two devoted cop partners is excessive to the point that I sincerely believed the two were about to experience a "Brokeback Mountain" moment! So is the hyper-violent action which would quickly result in PTSD in any truly believable street cops. Still, Gyllenhaal and Pena do deserve credit for their heartfelt interactions and also for the conviction of their character’s conduct, as highly implausible as it might in reality be.

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David Ayer

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Michael Peña

Mike Zavala

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Synopsis

Longtime LAPD partners and friends, Brian Taylor (Jake Gyllenhaal) and Mike Zavala (Michael Peña) patrol one of the most dangerous neighborhoods in Los Angeles. Though they may bend the rules, their honor and dedication to the job are unquestioned. Taylor and Zavala always have each other's back, even if Taylor's surreptitious filming of their daily activities for a college course is a bit ill-advised. All hell breaks loose for the officers when they run afoul of a vicious Mexican cartel.

Director: David Ayer
Producer: John Lesher, David Ayer, Nigel Sinclair, Matt Jackson
Screenwriter: David Ayer
Distributor: Open Road
Production Co: Le Grisbi
Rating: R (Sexual References|Pervasive Language|Some Disturbing Images|Some Drug Use|Strong Violence)
Genre: Crime, Drama, Action
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Sep 21, 2012, Wide
Rerelease Date (Theaters): Dec 7, 2012
Release Date (Streaming): Dec 10, 2015
Box Office (Gross USA): $41.0M
Runtime: 1h 49m

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