"I am a consequence."
End of Watch is a movie that I've been meaning to see for quite a while now and, as I finally caught up with it yesterday on Netflix instant, it didn't disappoint. It stars Jake Gyllenhaal and Michael Pena as two L.A. cops who are filming their daily lives on patrol in the city's south side. This film's shaky documentary style, especially at the beginning, can be brutally annoying but thankfully the director (David Ayer) interlaces steady shots to capture the riveting narrative. The cops are filmed over a period of what seems like about 18 months and during that time, respond to some pretty unbelievable calls. They deal regularly with south L.A.'s gang infestation and struggle to make sense of what seems to be a forlorn battle to keep drugs and guns off the streets. I absolutely loved this movie and was especially impressed with how suspenseful and scary it was. I consider the work that police officers do to be among the most important work in the world and this film captures it well. Ayer, who also wrote Training Day, shows us how dynamic a cop's day can be. At times, the job can be very boring and at other times, it can be very dangerous. And the film illustrates that these moments are often only separated by a few fleeting seconds.
The brotherly bond that exists between Gyllenhaal and Pena is very, very special. They made me laugh, they made me feel inspired but they also made me
End of Watch is currently streaming on Netflix. If you're reading this and you haven't seen it yet, watch it soon.
The opening quote from Gyllenhaal:
I am the police, and I'm here to arrest you. You've broken the law. I did not write the law. I may disagree with the law but I will enforce it. No matter how you plead, cajole, beg or attempt to stir my sympathy. Nothing you do will stop me from placing you in a steel cage with gray bars. If you run away I will chase you. If you fight me I will fight back. If you shoot at me I will shoot back. By law I am unable to walk away. I am a consequence. I am the unpaid bill. I am fate with a badge and a gun. Behind my badge is a heart like yours. I bleed, I think, I love, and yes I can be killed. And although I am but one man, I have thousands of brothers and sisters who are the same as me. They will lay down their lives for me and I them. We stand watch together. The thin-blue-line, protecting the prey from the predators, the good from the bad. We are the police.
No comments:
Post a Comment