Page 20 THE VILLADOM TIMES I & III • October 3, 2012 ‘End of Watch’ depicts daily lives of police partners by Dennis Seuling “End of Watch” is a combination of the buddy film and “Cops,” the reality TV show. Brian Taylor (Jake Gyllenhaal) and Mike Zavala (Michael Peña) are police officers assigned to South Central Los Angeles, an area rife with guns, drugs, and danger when one least expects it. These men are good cops, maybe a bit too ambitious and cowboy-like when pursuing law breakers, but they are honest guys who take the job seriously and, despite its countless dangers, love their work. The film is a series of episodes in their daily routine as they patrol in a squad car, taking calls and spotting potential trouble along the way. They joke freely and playfully insult each other, but it is apparent that they are as close as brothers and willing to cover each other’s back when they face tough situations. The plot takes shape when the duo happens upon a human trafficking operation spearheaded by the head of a Mexican drug cartel. They have stumbled onto something so big that even seasoned colleagues recognize the danger the two partners might have initiated. Writer/director David Ayer has provided a gritty look at the day-to-day danger uniformed officers face in a neighborhood where lawlessness is the norm. Viewers occasionally get a glimpse of innocent individuals forced to live amid this peril because they cannot afford to flee, but most of the script focuses on one lowlife after another. Michael Peña (left) and Jake Gyllenhaal star as police officers assigned to a tough Los Angeles neighborhood in ‘End of Watch.’ Gyllenhaal and Peña are excellent. Their characters’ bond is instantly believable as is their dialogue, which has the spontaneous, natural sound of two pals talking about guy stuff, shifting back and forth from jokes to serious issues. They may goof around like school boys, but they also listen to each other. Mike is married with a baby on the way. He married his high school sweetheart eight years before and has never been with another woman. Brian is single, dates a lot, and is looking for that special someone. When he meets Janet (Anna Kendrick) and thinks she might be the right woman for him, Mike councils him on the way to handle a courtship. His advice is wise and thoughtful. These guys know when to kid and when to address what is truly important. Director Ayer has interspersed brief scenes of the guys shooting the breeze as they patrol with scenes of their work as police officers. The contrast is interesting. They switch modes instantly as the situation warrants, and become totally professional, though they may disagree with official procedure out of earshot of higher-ups. “The French Connection” was one of the first movies to depict a cop’s personal life, but it didn’t have the consistent subjective view of “End of Watch.” The script paints the two cops as a little too saintly -- tarnished saints, perhaps, but saints nonetheless. Supposedly, viewers are seeing events primarily through the eyes of Brian and Mike, so there is a bit of dialogue that explains two lapel cameras the two wear as they go through the day. Brian says it’s for a project he is involved in -- a convenient throwaway line to explain the omnipresent cameras and “middle of the action” imagery. Sometimes, viewers even see them with a hand-held camera. More than once a character will state, angrily, “Turn that thing off,” or “Get that thing out of my face.” Of course, this never happens, and it is unlikely that such filming would be feasible and capture every key dramatic moment. The structure of the film, however, is fascinating, so awkwardly explaining the cameras is a minor bump in an otherwise first-class script. What is most impressive about “End of Watch” is its ability to draw upon familiar action movie ingredients -- wise guy cops, a disgruntled older cop, car chases, gun culture, and unsavory bad guys - and mix them up into something fresh and new. Viewers won’t feel they have seen this movie before. Rated R for violence, strong language, and drug use, “End of Watch” takes the police procedural into untapped territory, offering an often suspenseful and disturbing view of the daily life of a cop in a big city.