End of Watchwas a gritty and realistic cop thriller that became a critical and box office hit when it was released in 2012. Starring Jake Gyllenhaal as Brian Taylor and Michael Peña as Mike Zavala, the film features the two LAPD partners as they work in South Central Los Angeles. Written and directed by David Ayer (Suicide Squad, The Beekeeper,and writer ofTraining Day), the movie really shows the bond between the two young officers. It’s now getting a second life on Max where it sits at number five in the top 10 and even climbed as high as the number two spot.
The movie follows Taylor and Peña as they perform their duties and things take a turn when a cartel targets them. Ayer grew up in South Central L.A. and has written several films about corrupt officers working at the LAPD. But forEnd of Watch, he wanted to showcase two honest and dedicated officers. Ahead of its 2012 release, Ayer told the L.A. Times:
“I wanted to explore that partnership, that incredible bond partners have. The LAPD is a different organization. It’s not the department of the ’80s, it’s not the department of the ’90s. It’s a department that reflects the neighborhood it polices now. That wasn’t always the case…. The department has evolved, so let’s have our movies evolve to reflect that.”
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End of Watchwas made on a shoe-string production budget of $7.5 million and took about three weeks to shoot. Because it was shot documentary- and found footage-style (Taylor is filming for a college course), the movie has a very realistic feel to it.End of Watchopened on Sept. 20, 2012 and became a sleeper hit, earning $55 million at the worldwide box office. Both critics and audiences loved it, giving the film an 85% and 86% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, respectively. It’s a realistic and gritty take on the police thriller genre and worth watching.
Jake Gyllenhaal is Staying Busy in Film and on Broadway
Gyllenhaal has enjoyed starring in a wide variety of films and never sticks to one particular genre or role, which helps to avoid being typecast. He got his start in the 1990s in small parts in films and shows, but his lead role in the cult classicDonnie Darko(2001) put him on the map. Over the next two decades, he starred in a diverse slate of films, includingBrokeback Mountain(2005),The Day After Tomorrow(2004),Zodiac(2007),Nightcrawler(2014), and even the forgettableBubble Boy(2001).
Recently, he dipped his toe into the MCU by playing the villainous Quentin Beck (aka, Mysterio) inSpider-Man: Far From Home(2019). But Gyllenhaal really turned heads as Dalton in theRoad Houseremake, a movie that’s better than the original, despite its cult classic status as one of Patrick Swayze’s best action films.
Gyllenhaal is staying busy and is currently on Broadway co-starring inOthellowith Denzel Washington, and the show has become a major financial hit. He was also in the seriesPresumed Innocent(2024) and has been cast in the upcoming M. Night Shyamalan and Nicholas Sparks collaboration. Meanwhile, Amazon MGM Studios is busy developing thesequel toRoad House.
Source:L.A. Times
End of Watch
