This
past weekend, I decided to go to the movies and see End of Watch. To be completely
honest, I was not even sure what the movie was about. But, based on the previews, it appeared to be
an action packed movie. If you have not
seen the movie, but plan to do so, continue reading with caution. I will not spoil the ending, but I will
discuss certain scenes from the movie.
The
movie is about the friendship of two police officers who are assigned to
protect and serve in the mean streets of South Central, Los Angeles. Officers Brian Taylor (played by Jake
Gyllenhaal) and Mike Zavalo (played by Michael Pena) are the officers’ lives chronicled
in the movie. David Ayer directed End of Watch and he also directed Training Day. As much as I enjoyed Training Day, End of Watch is
completely different on almost every level.
The Los Angeles Police Department (“LAPD) has been the subject of many
scandals over the course of U.S. history.
LAPD officers were implicated in the Rodney King beating, the O.J.
Simpson trial, and even in the murders and arrests of countless other innocent
people. That said, I am not surprised the
LAPD is portrayed negatively on the big screen. This movie does not take that view. It shows two officers who are men of high
moral standards.
This
movie is not a typical police “buddy” movie like Lethal Weapon, Bad Boys, Beverly Hills Cop, Die Hard, 48 Hours and The
Last Boyscout. Those movies are good,
but each movie is not realistic in terms of the partnership between the police
officers. This movie showed us how
Taylor and Zavalo were friends and also why they were close. I think both officers represent the norm, in
that they are honest, hard working, non-corrupt professionals. They both had differences, but their core
values were very much aligned. Both officers
loved their families, believed in doing the right thing (not the easy thing),
would risk life and limb to save a person and really believed in the concept of
brotherhood. Some people claim to be
brothers, but never treat each other that way.
These two cops “talked the talk” and “walked the walk.”
This
movie made me think about police officers in a way I never had done
before. It increased my appreciation for
the tough job police officers have to do.
It made me appreciate police officers’ spouses, who know that their
wife/husband can be killed in the line of duty any given day. Sometimes people become frustrated with
police officers. How many people get mad
at police officers when they get speeding tickets for going five miles over the
speed limit? We often ask ourselves the rhetorical
question: Don’t you have something better to do than give me a speeding
ticket?! Why don’t you fight “real crime”
and leave me alone!? Bad police officers
are often portrayed by the media and movie directors. But, just as attorneys are often portrayed as
dishonest people, I believe an overwhelming majority of police officers are
good, honest people.
Regardless
of how you feel about police officers, it would be very difficult to deny that
they have an extremely difficult job.
They are charged with protecting and serving the public from the bad
element that certainly exists. Also,
they do this job, while being grossly underpaid and underappreciated. David Ayer does an excellent job bringing
together the “other side.” He truly
showed how police officers can be heroes.
It kind of made me think of the way firefighters are often portrayed as fearless,
selfless heroes. Good police officers
should be seen in the same light.
My
favorite scene from the movie occurred when Zavalo and Taylor responded to an
emergency call about a house being on fire.
They arrived at the house, after being on duty all day, and saw a woman
running from her burning house. She was screaming
and crying hysterically that her children were still in the house. Instinctively, Zavalo charges into the house,
with Taylor following behind him. The
scene was particularly powerful because Zavalo’s wife was pregnant with their
first child. He did not think about
himself, or family. He was only
interested in doing the right thing and saving the children. Zavalo and Taylor climbed the stairs to the
childrens' bedroom, as the house was becoming even more engulfed by flames. They grabbed the children from the burning house,
but as soon as they brought the kids outside, the mother said that her daughter
was still inside the burning house.
Again, Zavato and Taylor darted back into the burning house, which by
that time, was literally a ticking time bomb. They saved the child, but narrowly escaped
death. The scene embodied the
selflessness with which many police officers perform their jobs. It is truly a powerful scene.
This
movie discussed many serious topics, including human trafficking. In one scene, the officers found themselves following
a lead that led them to a house full of slaves being trafficked for money. It also discussed the problem with drug
trafficking and the impact South American drug cartels have on the drug trade
in the United States. There are even a
few scenes in the movie that discussed the importance of the union of marriage
and discouraged infidelity.
If
you have not seen this movie, you should definitely check out.
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the Gentleman's Report
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