End of Watch

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End of Watch

R

2012

1h 49m

Crime

Drama

Action

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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.

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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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Rowan C

@RowanC3 5d

End of Watch was such a good movie, and the relationship between these partners was beautiful. It showcased Brian Taylor (Jake Gyllenhaal) and Mike Zavala (Michael Peña ) taking on Los Angeles in one of the toughest divisions in the city. This movie shows these two partners taking on the cartel, and the cartel responds with full force against them. It actually felt like I was in the cop car with these people, and I liked the camera action as well. This movie was brutal, emotional, hilarious, and had just the right amount of action. I got attached to these characters easily, and I loved the little side plot with Brian's love life. It showed their lives outside of being cops, and I liked how that was presented. The ending killed me, and I could tell something bad was going to happen at the beginning of the movie. I liked the body cam scenes, and I just liked how there were so many different angles that I was watching from. Overall, this movie was very well written, and I loved it.

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Jose M

May 24

Keeps you engaged the whole movie

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Antonio B.

@AntonioBatt May 8

Great cop movie with 2 awesome actors for main characters. Felt like I was in pursuit with them. Good character building throughout the movie and sad ending but real.

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Max C

@RT32446652 Apr 27

I assumed this movie would be mediocre at best, but it turned out to be excellent. Realistic feeling relationships, great acting, funny but emotional and dramatic. The best cop movie ever by far.

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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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David Ayer

Director

Jake Gyllenhaal

Brian Taylor

Michael Peña

Mike Zavala

Natalie Martinez

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Anna Kendrick

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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