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September 21, 2012

At the Movies: 'Watch' breathes life into buddy cop genre

By CHRISTY LEMIRE
AP Movie Critic

You've seen the buddy cop movie a million times before, especially the mismatched buddy cop movie. Having the police officers come from different racial backgrounds is an especially tried-and-true element of this genre; it allows them to make fun of each other for the way they talk, the stuff they like, the activities that take up their free time. It's good for a reliable laugh, in theory.

End of Watch

Director: David Ayer

Cast: Jake Gyllenhaal, Michael Pena, Cody Horn, America Ferrera

Rating: R

Running time: 108 minutes

You've also seen the found-footage movie a million times before, beginning with the precedent-setting “Blair Witch Project” in 1999 and again in recent years following the success of the low-budget 2007 horror film “Paranormal Activity.” A character carries a camera around everywhere, documenting everything, or maybe a camera just happens to be rolling and it captures secret or strange goings-on we wouldn't be privy to otherwise. It's a conceit that reflects the narcissism of the iPhone generation. Why wouldn't we record everything we do? Everything we do matters.


 
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