By: Carlos Acevedo
Many of us may know that violence happens daily and it does not take a break, especially in a big city like Chicago; but neither do the police officers in charge of patrolling the many beats throughout the city.
There are always more than enough stories about how some cops are mean, corrupt and trigger-happy and it’s rare to hear the stories about the “good cops”, their deeds and sacrifices.
Director and Writer David Ayer wants to change those perceptions with his latest film, End of Watch, which exposes the many battles that police officers engage on a daily basis, just to try to come home safe to their families. “I have a lot of friends that are cops and they are good guys. They take the job seriously, they like what they do and there is a big sacrifice for what they do,” said Ayer.
Ayer said that one of his goals is for people to better understand what really goes on “behind the badge”.
“Unfortunately, when we deal with law enforcement as citizens, it’s usually at the worse time of our lives, like a crisis and they (police officers) are there to clean up the mess,” said Ayer. This movie does a great job at giving the audience a glimpse into the real world of law enforcement. It is a powerful story of family, friendship, love, honor and courage.
End of Watch is based on the experiences and relationship of two officers from Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD), Officer Brian Taylor (Jack Gyllenhaal) and Officer Mike Zavala (Michael Peña) as they patrol some of the toughest neighborhoods in South Central Los Angeles.
The story begins with a heart-pumping car chase as Officer Taylor and Officer Zavala are racing through one of the backstreets of South Central Los Angeles attempting to catch a car full of gang-bangers. A dash camera inside Taylor and Zavala’s squad car captures every twist and turn of the chase. The audience immediately gets a dose of “reality” as the opening scene makes you feel that you’re riding along, inside the squad car.
Despite the pressures of their day job, both police officers try to balance their work and personal life. Officer Taylor is seeking to settle down with his girlfriend Janet (Anna Kendrick) and Officer Zavala is expecting a new baby with his wife and high school sweetheart Gabby (Natalie Martinez). Their relationship issues are often a topic of discussion while they await the next dispatch call.
After accomplishing many good deeds, the story further unfolds when Officer Taylor and Officer Zavala uncover and disrupt a cartel’s human trafficking safe house. The fight to stay alive begins when a cartel orders a local gang to kill both police officers.
End of Watch does a great job at demonstrating the strong brotherhood held among police officers, the triumphs, failures and the impact their job has on their families. The audience will definitely be on the edge of their seats enjoying the extraordinary angles and surreal scenes in this non-stop, action-packed movie.
Compared to other police movies, Ayer said that normally when people see “cop movies” it feels like the actors playing cops. He wanted to take it to the next level and wanted Gyllenhaal and Peña to portray the LAPD as they really are.
With the goal of making this movie credible and as realistic as possible, Gyllenhaal and Peña had to go through five months of rigorous training. “I put these guys through firearms training, tactical training, fight training and they did a lot of ride-along’s with different agencies. I wanted them to see how different agencies work and there were a lot of rehearsals,” said Ayer.
“I really love to shoot guns now. I go to the range for fun,” said Peña.
Peña said that acting this role was very eye opening for him because in a dangerous situation, people run away from danger but in his role as a police officer he experienced running towards it.
“When you’re in the military, you go to war, you finish your tour, you come home and that’s it. When you’re a police officer, you go to war and you come home and that is every day, day after day and the family deals with what you’re dealing with and that’s what I really want to show,” said Ayer.
According to Ayer, everything in the movie happened in real life and he said it is currently on going. “There are police officers that don’t even tell their wives the stuff that they see on a daily basis.”
So if you’re in the mood for a great action movie, the opening night for End of Watch will be on Friday, Sept. 21. Prepare yourself to be happy, sad and happy again. The bathroom breaks will have to wait during this movie, as it will definitely keep you engaged from start to finish.
