End of Watch

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End of Watch

R

Released Sep 21, 2012

1h 49m

Crime

Drama

Action

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

85%

Tomatometer

179 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)

This abrasive and brilliant Los Angeles cop drama contains two exceptional male-lead performances.

Feb 27, 2023

Full Review

Francesca Steele

Independent (UK)

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.

Aug 11, 2017

Full Review

Bilge Ebiri

New York Magazine/Vulture

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.

Jan 8, 2013

Full Review

Brian Eggert

Deep Focus Review

Though Ayer’s screenplay resorts to some of the clichés we associate with the genre, the performances are so strong that we hardly care.

Rated: 3/4

Sep 25, 2022

Full Review

Charlotte Harrison

Charlotte Sometimes Goes to the Movies

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

Apr 8, 2021

Full Review

Jason Best

Movie Talk

With throat-grabbing immediacy, giddily frenetic cop thriller End of Watch thrusts you into the front seat of an LA patrol car.

Rated: 3/5

Dec 17, 2020

Full Review

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Alfie M

End Of Watch is a lot more disgusting, disturbing, hilarious and emotional that I originally thought. David Ayer is the one of the most "Either great or awful" directors and this was great. The dialogue is so natural, it's absolutely hilarious and it's so disturbing and some scenes are emotionally draining and hard to even watch. Also Micheal Peña (who is a really underrated actor) with a fantastic showing and obviously Jake Gyllenhaal is just superb in every role. The dynamic between the two (and the whole cast) feels so authentic.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

06/29/25

Full Review

Peter P

super foul mouthed buddy cop movie. what i loved about it: it didnt glorify the violence, instead it showed it for what it is. brutal and horrifying and scary and devastating. it showed the same for what happens when there is not strong rule of law: the gangs and cartels destroy and make every neighborhood a lawless and terrifying place to live. the movie also featured two cops that were genuinely trying to be good moral people and good cops aa they navigated the constant danger and morally tragic situations. so many other movies feature corrupt or morally gray cops. but this movie was refreshing to present us two heroes to emulate. loved the bromance and their loyalty to their wives and to each other.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

06/09/25

Full Review

Audience Member

Story is really slow, could have been better

Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars

05/05/25

Full Review

Petros T

Jake Gyllenhaal and Michael Peña have chemistry, and the film capitalizes on building a realistic relationship between them, which makes the action even more captivating. Also, the use of handheld footage (a lot of it actually shot by Gyllenhaal himself) is quite immersive. On the downside, Ayer gives carte blanche to his heroes to do anything: even when brutalizing African American and Hispanic civilians completely unprovoked, it's somehow fine because they all turn out to be criminals anyway.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

04/19/25

Full Review

M B

Such an excellent movie. Similar to the TV series Southlands. Must see!

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

04/08/25

Full Review

Jen O

With throat-grabbing immediacy, giddily frenetic cop thriller End of Watch thrusts you into the front seat of an LA patrol car.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

06/20/25

Full Review

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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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