jack_woods

End of Watch follows the lives and camaraderie of two ghetto street cops Taylor (Gyllenhaal) and Zavala (Peña) as they stumble upon a drug cartel operating above their pay grade. The abundance of chemistry between the entertainingly prolific duo is easily comparable to the heroes of Bad Boys and Lethal Weapon. Their camaraderie essential to keeping emotions of the job under control, smooths the balance of shocking events and rash behaviour, creating a real bond of trust. Ayer's piece is bold and gritty. No holding back on the profanities and real fear factor of the job. Despite the bad guys being a stereotypical gang with a severe lack of genuine vocabulary and over extensive swearing, it's the fear of their commitment that shocks and makes us fear for our dynamic duo.

End of Watch is truly shocking and gripping till the credits role.

Shark movies, how many good ones are out there? Well, after the obvious the list is pretty baron. However, Bait is remarkably watchable. I was quite surprised to find myself glued to the screen after over half an hour of character show and tell and only the opening shark scene to reel us in. The CGI and casting are the only two factors that plead with me to turn the movie off. For a thirty-mil budget the shark animations were truly inadequate, yet Bait managed to survive considering. Which is more than can be said for most civilians who aren't trapped in a supermarket given the state of that Australian coastline. Matthew Lessall and Ben Parkinson (Casting) need a job chat, some sideline characters offer absolutely, indescribably the worst performances I have ever seen. Listening to the psychotic Aussie robber, frantic store manager and squabbling couple in their car really made me shudder with anger. More time establishing deeper character backgrounds instead would have pleased, although they hold up pretty well for a shark flick.

Despite some teeth grinding actors and reminders of Bruce from Finding Nemo, Bait is visually very pleasing and makes for a worthy shark movie.

7/10.