End of Watch is a police drama that combines plenty of high-octane action with socio-cultural commentary, moments of comic relief and a sense of pride for the men in blue. The film features excellent performances by Jake Gyllenhaal and Michael Peña in the leading roles, as well as an engaging storytelling. It is also somewhat exceptional for recent police films as it shows no police corruption, a welcomed change on the big screen. The villains are very clearly the drug lords. David Ayer, who wrote and directed End of Watch, mixes with partial success a Cops-style TV reality filmmaking style with a story that is thin on credibility. The amount of violence incidents the main characters encounter would last a full police department a lifetime… It’s one of the film’s weaknesses. Another major fault is a story that loses focus. The plot, unlike many mindless action films, actually has much compacted into it, but when the film is over, one finds himself puzzled as to what was it all about. Yes, there is a great sense of commandership between the policemen, and more so between the two partners who play each other wonderfully, crossing cultural borders. But in a good story the hero must change, and while the hero here, more likely the Jake Gyllenhaal character, does change – he seems to have lost his sense of invincibility, there is a sense of incompletion. I am giving this film three stars though I admit it is a close call between three and four stars. Kudus to Jake Gyllenhaal and Michael Peña for marvelous performances and to David Ayer for breaking some of the familiar mold of this genre.