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

180 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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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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Charlotte Harrison

Charlotte Sometimes Goes to the Movies

04/08/2021

There are countless buddy-cop action movies, but this one really is a bit different.

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Jeepers C

4d

This is one of my favorites. I have watched it about 5 times. It's amazing that the critics actually got their reviews right on this gem 💎.

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Alex F.

@bammbam33 Jan 14

The best movie ever made. Don’t care

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Charles R.

@Chicri24 Jan 3

What can i say? Its a very good film.

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Sara S

Nov 25

Really solid performances, and really solid cinematography with a heavy punch...there are very few movies we see lately that have actual stakes...

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Tim M.

@TLM81 Nov 23

Fantastic movie - Highly recommend

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Brian D

@Brianwd Nov 12

82%/ 11/10/25. Always enjoy an LA based cop film. Cool the way it's shot with Jake's character filming and their body cam footage. They patrol a rough area in South Central LA and slowly leave a mark, eventually with the Mexican cartel. One of the black guys they have a funny wrestling match with earlier in the film tells them that they are marked men but they downplay it and say all cops are marked. But the cartel set them up. Super sad and crazy ending. Love the bond that Jake and Pena's characters form on duty and off. Underrated cast. Was surprised to see Anna Kendrick in it. 4/5 rewatch.

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David Ayer

Director

Jake Gyllenhaal

Brian Taylor

Michael Peña

Mike Zavala

Natalie Martinez

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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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