by Matt Gammond
Here at I’m With Geek we’re getting tepidly excited for Fury – a World War 2 action movie helmed by David Ayer. And you can read my review of this week’s release now. But that inspired me to have a look back at one of the director’s previous movies – End of Watch.
End of Watch hit the UK in November 2012 to a wall of “well it’s actually quite good” reviews. It’s by no means an action classic but it’s still incredibly enjoyable and an example of a film that increases in quality as the minutes tick by.
Here at I’m With Geek we’re getting tepidly excited for Fury – a World War 2 action movie helmed by David Ayer. And you can read my review of this week’s release now. But that inspired me to have a look back at one of the director’s previous movies – End of Watch.
End of Watch hit the UK in November 2012 to a wall of “well it’s actually quite good” reviews. It’s by no means an action classic but it’s still incredibly enjoyable and an example of a film that increases in quality as the minutes tick by.
There isn’t really a thick narrative that you can get your teeth around but that doesn’t matter because this movie has a very cool gimmick. It’s shot like a documentary, using a huge amount of handheld camerawork as well as your ‘standard’ shots. It works for the most part, though you’ll notice a lot of jarring quick-cuts and a seemingly endless army of characters who are recording things for no reason other than to keep the handheld theme running.
This style works so well because this film is all about the LAPD, specifically the daily grind of two seasoned cops that are hard as nails but still far down the pecking order at the office. Jake Gyllenhaal brings an almost completely shaven dome to the show as Brian Taylor and Michael Peña turns up as family man Mike Zavala. Both actors put in solid shifts, especially Gyllenhaal who is rapidly becoming one of this writer’s favourite actors. They’re crude people who don’t mind swearing (fun fact: this film is sixth in the all-time number of “f**ks” on screen) and are total justice playboys. But behind the attitude there are two characters with heart; they both have fascinating backgrounds and the movie’s strongest scenes involve the two of them just sitting and chatting about life in their squad car. The chemistry is obvious and it really sells their partnership.
This style works so well because this film is all about the LAPD, specifically the daily grind of two seasoned cops that are hard as nails but still far down the pecking order at the office. Jake Gyllenhaal brings an almost completely shaven dome to the show as Brian Taylor and Michael Peña turns up as family man Mike Zavala. Both actors put in solid shifts, especially Gyllenhaal who is rapidly becoming one of this writer’s favourite actors. They’re crude people who don’t mind swearing (fun fact: this film is sixth in the all-time number of “f**ks” on screen) and are total justice playboys. But behind the attitude there are two characters with heart; they both have fascinating backgrounds and the movie’s strongest scenes involve the two of them just sitting and chatting about life in their squad car. The chemistry is obvious and it really sells their partnership.
Those seeking plenty of action will be left wanting once the credits roll. Make no mistake, there’s plenty of shooting especially towards the end, but this is a character study and an insight into a world we rarely see handled so accurately. If an alien came to earth and watched this he’d probably think it was a true fly-on-the-wall documentary. These people aren’t perfect, their lives aren’t perfect and certainly their actions aren’t perfect, but that’s what makes them seem real.
Other people drop in and out but at the centre of everything is the partnership between Taylor and Zavala and it spins a yarn of believability so well that you will become totally engrossed with their every day struggles. There’s drama, emotion, humour and everything else that goes on between friends. Anybody that’s got a best buddy whom they can’t live without will love End of Watch.
Fury is out in cinemas now! Read Matt's review now
Other people drop in and out but at the centre of everything is the partnership between Taylor and Zavala and it spins a yarn of believability so well that you will become totally engrossed with their every day struggles. There’s drama, emotion, humour and everything else that goes on between friends. Anybody that’s got a best buddy whom they can’t live without will love End of Watch.
Fury is out in cinemas now! Read Matt's review now
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