Thursday, November 15, 2012
'End of Watch' (2012) directed by David Ayer, 13th November 2012
I've got a soft spot for 'found footage' films. 'The Blair Witch Project' traumatised me in
1999 and 'Cloverfield' had me gripping the edge of my seat in 2009. These types of films get a lot of stick,
frequently being accused of a lazy way to make a film (to be fair, this is sometimes justified).
I love it, turning the characters into cameraman doesn't feel like
laziness to me, it's an opportunity. By
seeing the world through their eyes (or at least through their cameras) we can
literally see the world how they do.
It allows the audience to take root inside the character, letting us
experience the world of the film much more viscerally.
This direct, personal experience is crucial here. 'End of Watch' is a film about LAPD beat cops
in South Central. I've never had any
experience with the LAPD, but through popular culture I've built up an image,
rightly or wrongly, of them as corrupt, racist, violent
thugs. We spend the film in the company
of two cops, Mike Zavala (Michael Pena) and Brian Taylor (Jake Gyllenhaal). Taylor is taking a film class and has decided
to film everything about his job as a cop.
This is really more of a framing device, and we soon forget the
actual physical constraints of filming like this as we explore the world and
the different characters in it.
'End of Watch' exploits our expectations of what a modern audience expects
in a film about the police. As the film
beings we're expecting to see these cops go off the rails, to expose themselves
as corrupt and self-serving, to be loose cannons who break the rules but get
the job done. I'd seen the trailer a
week or so ago, and it seemed to be selling us on a story of two rogue cops
whose selfishness gets them in over their heads with the mob. This isn't what the film is about at all, and
it's almost jarring when you realise that these characters are genuinely good,
smart people who for the most part treat the people they come into contact with respect and
good humour.
 |
| Mike Zavala (Michael Pena) and Brian Taylor (Jake Gyllenhaal( |
Outside the cinema, I'm not particularly enamoured with the behaviour of
the police. I read a steady trickle of
news from the US that has cops doing things like tasering 10 year olds, punching cyclists, shooting people by mistake, viciously beating handcuffed men and generally being extremely unpleasant people. In
the opening scenes of this film I thought all these negative qualities were
about to be confirmed. At the beginning
of the film we see our characters engaged in a car chase which ends with them
gunning down the perps. Back at the station we see them laughing and joking in
the locker room. They act blase about
killing, even when they're reminded that this is homicide even if allowed under
the law, and we sense they've enjoyed the adrenaline rush. This behaviour, coupled with the fact Zavala
and Taylor look and behave like bonehead bro types meant that I didn't exactly
start out the film with a huge deal of sympathy for them.
Very quickly however, they reveal that they're quite a bit deeper than most
cinematic policemen. A large portion of
the film is them driving around on patrol in South Central LA chatting away to
each other. These conversations reveal
that these are two intelligent men with a surprisingly nuanced and humanistic
view of the world. Taylor, for example,
is desperately trying to find an intelligent woman to have a long-term
relationship with. After a string of
short flings, he's less interested with getting them into the bedroom than
being able to have a decent conversation with them. Zavala on the other hand is married with a
child on the way and seemingly deeply in love with his wife. He talks proudly about the strength of their
relationship and how important he considers the bond of marriage to be.
When we finally get to meet their partners, Gabby (Natalie Martinez and
Janet (Anne Kendrick), we get to see a softer and more likeable side to
them. Their interactions are sweet and
touchingly emotionally honest, both men consider the women their better halves
and take their advice and opinions seriously.
 |
| Brian Taylor and Janet (Anna Kendrick) |
These two characters are further developed by the ways in which they react
to the situations they find themselves in, or by what they're confronted with
in the line of duty. When they find
abused children they seem genuinely shaken up by the experience. Their fury at the perpetrators of this abuse
feels genuine, and you can sense them straining against the limits of their
moral code. At various points in the
film they're confronted by scenes of extreme violence, and refreshingly for a
Hollywood film the characters are clearly physically nauseated by it,
realistically retching and gagging.
Both Pena and Gyllenhaal are absolutely excellent
in this film. The relationship between
the two policemen is the backbone of the film and both men are so relaxed and
comfortable in each other's company here that it's almost inconceivable that
the two men aren't friends in real life.
Martinez and Kendrick compliment these performances with their own
excellent work, and although they don't have nearly as much screen time both
women quickly and effectively define themselves as intelligent and kind.
As someone viewing this film from the other side of the world, South
Central LA is portrayed here as a violent urban warzone. We see the police kitting up at the start of
the film, and as they pack shotguns, pistols and pepper spray into their police
cruiser they look more like soldiers heading off to war than cops. The enemy are Mexican drug cartels, gangs
notorious for their extreme violence and voracious expansion of territory.
 |
| He's really a very sensitive man. Seriously. |
When I think of gangs in South Central LA I imagine of drive by shootings
between the Crips and the Bloods, two gangs squaring off against each other for
territory. But as the film tells it,
their glory days seem to be over. They've
been trumped in organisation, wealth and sheer viciousness by these Mexican
Drug Cartel. The cartel members are
overtly vile people, physically and
sexually threatening to everyone around them.
They exist in a twilight, lit dramatically even though the film is
ostensibly 'reality'. In terms of
morality they seem utterly straightforwardly evil (their leader is in fact
called 'Big Evil'), almost to a cartoonish level).
With all these heavily tattooed, perpetually angry and incredibly sweary gang members, 'End of Watch' runs the
risk of promoting some very unfortunate stereotypes. David Ayer doesn't shy away from tackling racial issues, an emotive subject which to the film's credit it sensibly and skilfully navigates. The flipside to the demonisation of the cartels is the character of Zavala, through whom we get a view of a far healthier and more positive latino
community. The importance of family
bonds is repeatedly emphasised here, with Zavala's family held up as an
exemplary example of a mutually supportive family network. If our characters can be said to have a goal
outside of enforcing the law, living in warm and loving domesticity is it.
Ayer consciously sets up this point of comparison: the film cuts from a
sinister night time drug fuelled party with pounding bass music to a well lit,
friendly and happy community hall where Zavala's sister's quinceañera is taking
place.
 |
| Also a very nice person. I think here he's about to smash some guy in the snotbox. |
The considered, nuanced performances and the intelligent direction and
writing all form the foundation of an incredibly effective film. This means that when the action kicks off
it's almost unbearably tense. The film has
gone to such lengths to establish a feeling of realism that every gunshot feels
impossibly threatening. The sound during
these scenes is outstanding, with some of the loudest, most unpleasant sounding
gunfire I've heard in a film. The film
exploits this, making the cartel's gunfire tinny and trebly, while the cops'
guns make a slightly more pleasant bassy booming sound. More than in most action films, the guns feel
dangerous, every bullet potentially a killer.
I do think that the film goes slightly too far in deifying the
police force. There are a few scenes
where the film loses it's way a little bit and tips over into what feels like
blatant propaganda. In particular
there's a lengthy monologue by a side character about how his partner took a
bullet for him that's unbearably glurgy. By and large the film avoids these pitfalls,
though in one light that probably means it's successful propaganda. I suspect that this hero worship of the
police, whose methods and behaviour are never criticised, is a consequence of
their co-operation with the production of the film. The production detail is incredible here, and
it feels authentic from start to finish.
 |
| Los Angeles looks like a total dump in this film. |
Despite these serious misgivings, the kind of which should generally kill a
film stone dead for me, I couldn't help but find 'End of Watch' an utterly
gripping experience. The
characterisation is dead on, you can't help but like these two men and hope for
the best for them. This attachment we
develop to them, and the emotions we invest in their relationship transforms
the action scenes into tense, unpredictable and terrifying nightmares. But then on the other hand this is a great PR coup for the LAPD and it'd be perfectly reasonably to argue that this film is merely a two hour long recruitment ad. Ultimately I'm torn between being politically suspicious of it but absolutely loving it as a piece of cinema. It's definitely worth seeing, if only for a glimpse into a world where policemen can be smart, kind and conscientious individuals.
Tags:
action ,
Anna Kendrick ,
cop ,
David Ayer ,
End of Watch ,
film ,
Jake Gyllenhaal ,
LAPD ,
Natalie Martinez ,
police ,
review ,
the O2
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