Box office End of Watch grossed $41 million in North America and $16.6 million in other territories for a total gross of $57.6 million, against its budget of $7 million. It was especially popular among Hispanics, who made up 32% of the audience on the opening weekend, and a writer for
The Hollywood Reporter attributed the film's popularity to strong
word of mouth. The film was initially released in 2,730 theaters and expanded to 2,780 locations in its second week of release. On December 7, the film was given a nationwide re-release in 1,259 theaters On the first weekend of its re-release, it grossed $752,000. On
Metacritic, the film has a score of 68 out of 100, based on reviews from 37 critics, indicating "generally favorable" reviews. Audiences polled by
CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "A−" on an A+ to F scale.
Roger Ebert of the
Chicago Sun-Times gave the film four out of four stars, calling it "one of the best police movies in recent years, a virtuoso fusion of performances and often startling action", and went on to name the film the fourth best of 2012. Film critic
James Berardinelli described
End of Watch as "satisfying and emotionally potent ... a good, gritty drama of the sort that seems increasingly rare within the thriller genre", giving the film 3.5 out of 4 stars. Olly Richards, writing for
Empire, gave the film four out of five stars and summarized it as "a collection of cop-movie clichés but presented with sufficient flair and strong performances that the ride is enough, even if it's on rails". While
New York Bilge Ebiri found the film largely unrealistic and Ayer's direction "serviceable at best", he wrote that "Ayer and his cast appear to have so convincingly nailed the way these characters talk and act that you might not even notice the film slipping from workaday grit into out-and-out myth." Critics praised
End of Watch for its avoidance of clichés often used in police films, particularly the
buddy cop genre. Peter Debruge of
Variety wrote that "Like a knife in the eye,
End of Watch cuts past the cliches of standard police procedurals" and praised Ayer for depicting the LAPD as "an honorable and efficient organization of people working together".
Entertainment Weekly Lisa Schwarzbaum, who gave the film an A−, described it as "one of the best American cop movies I've seen in a long time [and] also one of the few I've seen that pay serious attention to what cop life feels like, both on and off duty". In a review for
The Globe and Mail, however, Rick Groen opined that the focus on "saintly" police officers was less interesting than Ayer's "trademark grit and authenticity". The performances of Peña and Gyllenhaal were also praised by critics. Peter Debruge commended the realism that the two actors brought to their roles, saying, "Gyllenhaal and Peña so completely reinvent themselves in-character. Instead of wearing the roles like costumes or uniforms, they let the job seep into their skin." In a review for
USA Today, Claudia Puig commended Gyllenhaal for "giv[ing] his best performance since
Brokeback Mountain" and Peña for "shin[ing] with charisma". Roger Ebert highlighted
End of Watch as "one of the performances of [Peña's] career" and praised the performances given by the supporting cast, including
Natalie Martinez and
Anna Kendrick. Similarly,
The Washington Post Michael O'Sullivan found the aesthetic gimmicky, overused, and "an unnecessary distraction from the story". On the other hand, Amy Biancolli of the
San Francisco Chronicle felt that although the cinematography was inconsistent, "it's used to deepen its main characters" and "lends the film a lively intimacy". Other reviewers criticized the casting of
minorities as gang members.
Manohla Dargis of
The New York Times pointed out that "almost all of [the crimes are] committed by the black and mainly brown people", while
The Globe and Mail Rick Groen criticized "the script's penchant for over demonizing the ghetto's black residents".
Accolades ==References==