I missed End of Watch (Open Road) in Toronto, primarily because a screening was scheduled only a few days after I returned home, tonight. Early buzz I was hearing at the fest wasn’t too positive, but over the last 48 hours or so things seem to be picking up following last night’s screening in LA.
Directed by David Ayer (Training Day), it sounds like this is a solid cop drama. Considering it uses something of a “found footage” technique to tell its story — “footage from the handheld HD cameras of the police officers [Michael Pena and Jake Gyllenhaal], gang members, surveillance cameras, and citizens caught in the line of fire” — and the fact people commenting on it don’t seem to focus on that aspect tells me Ayer was able to tap into a narrative vein that has people paying attention to the story and characters rather than the gimmick used to propel the action. Good stuff.
I’ve also heard there are some ridiculous angles that pretty much show it abandons the whole “found footage” aspect early on, so I’m ready for that and word is it’s quite funny.
The film hits theaters this Friday and I’ll try and have a review ready for you before then. I’m currently piecing together my thoughts on Trouble with the Curve so as to have that for you tomorrow morning. Stay tuned.
