End of Watch (2012)

4/5

End of Watch is a gritty police drama that combines elements of realism and truth with humor and warmth. It follows two young officers (Gyllenhaal, Peña) patrolling the streets of LA together. Instead of focusing on the minutiae of cop life, it centers on the relationship between the two leads and simply explores where their job takes them. The writing is filled with harrowing experiences that make your heart stop beating for a few seconds. The movie is exciting, thrilling, terrifying, and heartfelt.

The editing is just about perfect. It collapses time to focus on the most startling arrests and the biggest personal life events: weddings, birthdays, etc. It uses the found footage concept to perfection, unlike Chronicle. Chronicle took the concept too far, to the point where it impeded the storytelling and lessened your enjoyment of the film. Here, it provides a framework, a context, a setting. It gives shape and meaning to the story instead of forcing the story in one direction or becoming the story itself.

But, honestly, the actors are the reason to see this movie. Gyllenhaal and Peña give truly outstanding and memorable performances. They each bring their own individual charisma to the screen, and together they have a natural chemistry that takes your breath away. The movie is far from perfect, with numerous unbelievable scenarios and occasional unclear motivations. Be that as it may, the movie was a joy to watch and I highly recommend it.

IMDb link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1855199/

Revolutionary Road (2008)

5/5

Revolutionary Road is an expansive blue ocean. It appears beautiful from afar, but roiling underneath it is sorrow and anger erupting in ferocious waves. It touches all of us, pooling at the feet of some, submerging others. I am in the latter camp; I am a victim to this devastating film. I get jitters remembering everything that happened. My pulse quickens and my knees weaken. And I can't get that nightmare out of my head.

Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet play Frank and April Wheeler, a young couple that recently moved into a suburban house on Revolutionary Road in the 1950's. Their happiness is a facade for the hopeless emptiness they're experiencing. Frank works at a job he can't stand and comes home to a wife who can't stand being home. They hate each other. They remain together for the sake of their children, but realize it's worse for everyone to stay in that situation. Separation is not an option. What can they do to escape their self-imposed, once-desirable imprisonment?

The acting is impeccable, heart-felt, and full. It makes the pitch-perfect writing all the more unbearable. The music infiltrates your subconscious. The cinematography stays on the sideline, subtly affecting your perceptions and focus. The editing is tight; it plays with time fluidly but intuitively. And for all the movie's effectiveness, for all of Sam Mendes's brilliance, it hurts. This is not an enjoyable film. This is not entertainment. This is a condemnation of all we hold dear in America. This is a searing indictment of our success, our greed, and even our appearance. By the end, we simply want to stop listening, to ignore it and hope it disappears. What a sorry, tired answer that is. But it is our only chance.

IMDb link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0959337/