My expectations for End of Watch were pretty low – basically, I like Jake Gyllenhaal, so I watched it. But this film is a passed-over gem of sorts. It is very well-made, interesting, and artistically it succeeds way more than I ever would have guessed. My wife and I both loved it.

Here’s a great example of a thrilling action film that also makes a real effort (through quality dialog) to develop characters and tell a satisfying and muti-faceted human story. You get to know the main characters and the details of their lives (both on and off the job) in satisfying detail. The pacing of the film is really good, as is the narrative flow of scenes. Because they are telling a story about people (rather than about shocking events, as is usually done in action films,) when the shocking scenes arrive, they make quite an impact, and what’s more the action scenes are freshly varied, and their violence (although considerable) is not glamorized in any way.

This movie builds texture beautifully, both through excellent scene composition and through the unusual device that much of the film is seen live through camcorders held by the participants. Normally this would just be a hackneyed gimmick, but here it is skillfully employed to add considerable spontaneity and visual texture, and also to naturally provide a kind of quasi-narration that communicates additional information smoothly and efficiently – you just have to see it to appreciate how well it works.

Both Jake Gyllenhaal and Michael Peña are absolutely superb, and their chemistry as partners is outstandingly natural. All the supporting performances are solid, and I should add that it was very nice to see the marvelous America Ferrera getting some work, even if it was just a small supporting role.

I recommend End of Watch very highly! It really is one of the better films of the year.