Released earlier this year to little fanfare, writer and director David Ayer’s latest foray into the world of Los Angeles police officers is now available for streaming. When I first saw the trailer in theaters, it struck me as predictable and hackneyed stuff, but I watched it on a friend’s recommendation and I was pleasantly surprised — shocked a little, even — by how incredibly riveting and emotionally gripping it is.
It’s well worth noting too that Ayer, whose credits include “Training Day,” “Dark Blue” and “Street Kings,” among others, is assembling a remarkable body of work about the brutal underside of Los Angeles cops and the gangland territories they police. None of his films has been perfect, but they are all brutally revealing and fascinating, at the very least. Aside from “Training Day,” his efforts are hugely underrated and seem more likely to be appreciated decades from now, with the luxury of hindsight — but almost every one of them is well worth watching today.
“End of Watch” is available in the U.S. on Netflix and Amazon Instant Video.
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