End of Watch

2012

End of Watch

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.

85%

TOMATOMETER

Total Count: 176

86%

Audience Score

User Ratings: 85,229
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Movie Info

From the writer of Training Day, End of Watch is a riveting action thriller that puts audiences at the center of the chase like never before. Jake Gyllenhaal and Michael Peña star as young LA police officers who discover a secret that makes them the target of the country's most dangerous drug cartel. -- (C) Open Road
  • Rating:
    R (for strong violence, some disturbing images, pervasive language including sexual references, and some drug use)
  • Genre:
    Drama
  • Directed By:
    David Ayer
  • Written By:
    David Ayer
  • In Theaters:
     wide
  • On Disc/Streaming:
  • Box Office:
    $39,100,000
  • Runtime:
  • Studio:
    Open Road Films

Cast

Jake Gyllenhaal
as Taylor
Michael Peña
as Zavala
Anna Kendrick
as Janet
America Ferrera
as Officer Orozco
Frank Grillo
as Sarge
Natalie Martinez
as Gabby
Cody Horn
as Officer Davis
Maurice Compte
as Big Evil
David Harbour
as Officer Van Hauser
Shondrella Avery
as Bonita
Richard Cabral
as Demon
Yahira Garcia
as La La
Jaime FitzSimons
as Captain Reese
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Critic Reviews for End of Watch

All Critics (176) | Top Critics (48) | Fresh (149) | Rotten (27)

  • 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

    Bilge Ebiri

    New York Magazine/Vulture
    Top Critic

  • The actors, both excellent, get right into Ayer's groove. So by the time we arrive at the unsparing climax, we really know and care about these guys.

    Jan 8, 2013 | Rating: 4/5 | Full Review…

    Elizabeth Weitzman

    New York Daily News
    Top Critic

  • Gyllenhaal and Pena are after a lived-in camaraderie and a street-level realism. Pena, especially, succeeds; you buy him every second.

    Jan 8, 2013 | Rating: 3/4 | Full Review…

    Michael Phillips

    Chicago Tribune
    Top Critic

  • The performances here are so sharp that viewers may wish End of Watch has been shot by someone who knew how to find the right point of view for a scene and leave it there.

    Jan 8, 2013 | Full Review…

    Richard Corliss

    TIME Magazine
    Top Critic

  • One to watch, but through narrowed eyes.

    Nov 23, 2012 | Rating: 3/5 | Full Review…
    London Evening Standard
    Top Critic

  • Despite the violence and procedural detail, this is about as gritty as Dixon of Dock Green.

    Nov 22, 2012 | Rating: 2/5 | Full Review…

    Peter Bradshaw

    Guardian
    Top Critic
View All Critic Reviews (176)

Audience Reviews for End of Watch

  • Aug 25, 2019
    A good duo at the forefront of this thing, but I don't especially care for the half-assed documentary schematic or, you know... cops.
    Gimly M Super Reviewer
  • Dec 12, 2017
    More shaky cam than I generally care for. Both Gyllenhaal and Pena were excellent.
    Spencer M Super Reviewer
  • Mar 17, 2017
    The buddy cop dramedy revisited and made relatable by the spot on performances on it's lead players. The plot setup is somewhat far fetched but its nada but a thrill rise after all. And while not Hope and Crosby, the banter often is not too far from them either.
    Kevin M. W Super Reviewer
  • Feb 25, 2016
    End of watch is so realistic, well written, dark and intriguing. End of Watch is one of the best cop films I've seen and is definitely worth your time to see!
    Mr N Super Reviewer
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