End of Watch 4K Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		3.0
Audio		4.5
Extras		3.0
Overall		3.5

End of Watch 4K Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Martin Liebman February 20, 2026

Shout! Factory has newly released a UHD version of the 2012 film 'End of Watch,' directed by David Ayer and starring Jake Gyllenhaal and Michael Peña. This release features a new 2160p/Dolby Vision video presentation. However, audio and supplements remain unchanged from the original 2012 Universal release. At time of writing, this release ships exclusively in SteelBook packaging. See below for a few words on the new video presentation and the SteelBook, in addition to a few photos of the SteelBook.

For a full film review, please see Kenneth Brown's (as always) excellent writing accompanying the Universal disc by clicking here.

End of Watch 4K Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

End of Watch was not traditionally shot. It's been assembled from a variety of sources, used in a variety of manners, resulting in a variety of visual cues and flavors appearing on the screen throughout the film. I want to begin by linking to Ken Brown's review of the 2013 Universal disc as a necessary primer for the basics of what an End of Watch, well, watch entails.

Shout! Factory's Dolby Vision UHD presentation does appear faithful to the source, and offers a boost in clarity and color saturation compared to the old 1080p Blu-ray. The varied styles do mean that there are nontraditional elements at work here, but even through what can be mild-to-modestly rough sources, there is a very nice level of clarity and detail at work. Compared to the Blu-ray, there are some excellent gains to be found here, even right off the bat in the locker room and the police briefing room in the first few scenes of the film. Facial textures, place uniform fabrics, and the like really show some nice gains. In some scenes like police dash cam footage, it's a bit harder to spot real gains, but even there the format amplifies the elements about as far as they can be amplified.

The Dolby Vision color grading makes for a very nice boost, maybe even more so than the 2160p resolution. Some of the daytime city locales really spring to life with pleasantly amplified color, resulting in much more living and active scenery that, even under the source constraints, delivers some necessary brilliance to the proceedings. Not that the Blu-ray is any slouch, but the evident gains here are pretty great. Likewise, clothing colors see some good saturation and vividness boosts. Black levels are solid, though the way some of the darker and nighttime scenes are shot, they still look a bit washed out. Whites are bright and vivid, and skin tone look as good as can be expected. Overall, I was pleasantly surprised by how well the UHD boosts the material at hand. Fans should be satisfied.

End of Watch 4K Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Rather than remix for Dolby Atmos, Shout! Factory has merely ported over the existing DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 lossless soundtrack. Please see a full review of that mix by clicking here. The studio has also included a DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 track. I won't spend more than a few words on it, since I believe most are going to just listen to the default 5.1 presentation, but it's definitely a solid track with robustness to music and action and clarity of spoken word, which images seamlessly to the middle. The action certainly lacks the spacing and depth afforded to it by the 5.1 mix, but listeners should be more than satisfied if they choose this listen.

End of Watch 4K Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

This UHD release of End of Watch includes all of the extras on the Blu-ray disc, with the expiation of the audio commentary, which is included on both the UHD and the Blu-ray discs. The extras are identical to the selection of those found on the original Universal Blu-ray issue. See below for a bulleted list of what's included and please click here for full coverage. There is no digital copy code included with purchase.

• Audio Commentary: Writer/Director David Ayer (also available on the UHD disc)
• Fate with a Badge
• In the Streets
• Women on Watch
• Watch Your Six
• Honors
• Deleted Scenes
• Trailer

At time of writing, this UHD release of End of Watch ships exclusively in SteelBook packaging. It's an attrsctive presentation, featuring a bright orange background with deep, dark blue dripping thickly down onto it from the top. In that blue area is the film's title in silvery block letters, above which are the names of lead actors Jake Gyllenhaal and Michael Peña. The cover also features some silhouette-like depictions of cops, guns drawn, all pointed to the left. The rear panel is similar styled with the coloring, but features some masked bad guys, guns drawn, aiming back towards the cops on the front. It's one continuous image with the spine carrying over the same basic scheme and the film's title in the center. There are a number of studio and format logos on the top and bottom edges.

Inside, the two discs, one UHD and one Blu-ray, are situated on the right in staggered-stacked formation. The inner print is a two-panel spread that features officers Brian Taylor and Mike Zavala on the left, standing in front of a sprawling, graffiti-strewn wall that fills the rest of the interior space.

End of Watch 4K Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

End of Watch remains one of the better Cop films of the 2000s. Engaging, compelling, well acted...I liked it a good bit better than Ken, and that's what makes the movies so much fun. Shout! Factory's UHD offers a legitimate upgrade to material that might seem to be without much opportunity for amplification. Both clarity and color are solidly improved. The carryover audio and extras are good, too, and I love the SteelBook design. Highly recommended!