End of Watch (2012)
You feel like a hero?
THE SUMMARY: Two LAPD cops patrol the streets until they catch the ire of a Mexican cartel, and the cartel guys trap and kill them, but actually one surprisingly survives and it’s very sad. That makes it sound lame and generic, but it’s actually a very good movie that’s less about a complex plot, and more about the action with interludes of valuable life wisdom.
FROM MOVIE-PICKER JASON: This is a buddy cop movie that will make you laugh until you cry. Two cops that are best partners take on crime until an unfortunate turn of events throws their lives into a chaotic spin.
JAMIE AND JEANNE’S AI FACESWAP ART:
Fulfilling the donut stereotype.
These two would just sit around debating the philosophy of it before ever making an arrest.
Thankfully, it’s a toy, so this chick cop won’t accidentally Glock you.
Sorry about the weird presentation - whoever owns this movie’s copyright is dead serious.
THE BEST:
Policing is brutal: I have little doubt that this movie is an only slightly dramatized depiction of what it’s like to police south central Los Angeles. Gangs and cartels would make dealing with the skid row bums actually preferable. While of course every police officer’s oath to the Constitution should be strictly and aggressively enforced, there’s plenty of truth on the other side of that arrangement too. If you make their jobs impossible, enjoy dealing with the Bloods, Crips, and MS-13 yourself. If we have to err on one side - too much harshness to criminal suspects or too much lenience - well, we’re seeing the consequences of the latter right now. Keep policing local to keep it accountable, and give them the benefit of the doubt necessary to do the job. That’s the ideal.
Authentic cartel behavior: Not that I have direct experience, but damn does that cartel house with the dismembered bodies look a lot like the real cartel violence montage a listener created a few years back (CLICK AT YOUR OWN RISK - MAXIMUM NSFW). Remember when Trump got in trouble for saying these people are animals? ‘Animals’ is too kind a compliment. Demons are real, and it’s them.
Great advice on marriage and women: Zavala’s marriage advice for Taylor is exactly right. Taylor describes having trouble finding women with whom he connects intellectually: ‘I want someone to talk to. Not just sleep with.’ Zavala responds: ‘White people always get hung up on all that soulmate bullshit. Just hook up with some fine-ass broad that can cook and wants kids. A bitch that's down for you, won't fuck your friends and you're straight.’
Correct. A wife’s commitment to building a family is qualification number one. All other factors are nice bonuses, but distantly secondary: hobbies, interests, matters of taste, etc. If you’re committed to building a life together first and foremost, that’s the hard part. Finding fun ways to do that is easy.
That’s not to say that anybody will do - they won’t. It’s to say identify what’s most important first, and don’t get lost in insignificant distractions.
And no, this isn’t an argument for men to find a women to serve them in some one-sided arrangement, either. Later in the movie, Zavala explains the other side, when Taylor is considering moving in with his girlfriend just to avoid the double rent payment. It’s not about convenience. It’s about commitment, and recognizing that you can’t live without her. If you can, you should.
Realistic depiction of chick cops: For as much as we like to laugh at female cop incompetence on our show, there’s actually a cruelty to it. Deploying women to handle society’s hardened street criminals after propagandizing them to believe they actually have a chance is how we create the disgustingly immoral scenario in the movie: a woman with her face beaten in.
There’s nothing noble about putting women in this position. If you value women, you don’t set them up for this scenario in the first place.
The golden AK: I’m just a sucker for the gun (you may notice the model on my shelf in the background). From Saddam’s piece, to the final Call of Duty 4 rifle prize, the golden AK is the most aesthetically cool gun ever created. If I recovered a criminal gun like that one, I’d have a hard time not finding a way to stash it for myself. Look away, ATF.
Note: I would have embedded more clips, but the iron-fisted copyright owner of this movie has disallowed it.
After you think about it, think about it again.
Don’t call it Liberace’s AK - it make it sound gay.
THE WORST:
The ‘bodycam’ style can be tough to watch: Overall, I think the bodycam/handcam/dashcam/whatevercam style of this movie is unique and cool. It creates a distinct look, and a certain authenticity to policing since the bodycam has now become the standard perspective through which we view the profession. That perspective made this movie memorable, even if at times it does seem more ‘amateur’ than professional, but that’s the point.
I put this point among criticism not because I hate it, but because it can be a little distracting. It’s shaky, it’s often not ideally framed, and it’s chaotic. If you’re looking for the ‘cinematic’ look, this movie may not be for you, but it’s not trying to be that look visually either.
Why would they not take the rifle/shotgun?: In the final fight, when Taylor and Zavala are baited and trapped inside the apartment complex, they start shooting their way out. They kill a guy with an AK in the hallway, and then another guy with what looks like a pump shotgun in a car outside. Sure, your Glock is trusty, but why would they not scoop these guns to help even the odds? If I’m in a rifle fight, the first thing I want is a rifle. Yet they just leave these long guns behind. Even if it’s just to take the guns out of gang hands, there’s no way they don’t grab them. Makes no sense.
THE RATING: 4/5 Wickies. An action-packed, philosophically interesting, and family-focused look at our cartel-controlled future, once Democrats have imported them all and police are either too restricted or too demoralized to do anything about it.
YOUR RATING: Vote here ⬇ Note: if you get a notification saying you have already voted and you haven’t, this is because of an issue with iOS (Apple mobile devices). Try voting on a desktop or laptop computer.
DISCUSS OR REVIEW THE MOVIE WITH OTHER LISTENERS: Check out the dedicated channel on the community Discord server.
NEXT WEEK: The Butterfly Effect (2004)
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