To the OP asking about the point of the movie, one of the fun things about "found footage" affairs is that they transcend the need for a hard and fast plot. The point was to entertain the viewer with lots of fun realistic dialogue, some action sequences, as well as some drama/romance thrown in for good measure. Great movie to combine all of these things together fairly seamlessly.

To show the hell of being a beat cop in gangland, and it executed it brilliantly.

Like all the films the writer director makesto get his message across while working with talented people and making a little money. He is pro cops and that is wonderful in an anti cop worldwe need to root for the boys in blue and they need movies to see themselves at their best and how good they can be and how hard it really is as much as we need dirty cop films to show that no one is perfect and people make mistakes and need to be held accountable by the same laws they swear to uphold.
What we have here is a failure to communicate, Captain

I thought it was an excellent way to show cops a little love. The filmmakers didn't make them saints, but when I hear people say how much they hate the police, I wish they would just give some thought to what these guys have to see and put up with on a daily basis, even in small towns with nowhere near the astronomical violence of South Central Los Angeles. The two leads obviously have an unusually strong friendship, but in a profession as intense as law enforcement in hopeless neighborhoods, those connections are powerful in a way that probably can only be compared to soldiers in wartime.

What was the point? Well, what did you watch? If you saw the same movie, you saw the interactions of two courageous if not over emboldened police officers that unknowingly get pulled into an ordeal with a drug cartel. It depicts what it might be like in South East LA. Through this movie, you learn that not all police are jerks trying to give tickets for tax money.
Evidence:

1. These two do not give tickets. See the scene where they are lectured about not giving tickets
2. The fight scene with Tre (and later the scene with Tre saying they were good cops), and when they dont turn Tre in for a more severe sentence for life.
3. The fire scene where they save 3 kids, despite it not being part of their jobs
   Time and again we are shown things which show they are great cops. And with the documentary style filming it wants us to see not all cops are bad, or mean, or spiteful, or anything. They are cops, and they are people.
   The plot of the movie is driven forward by their relationship and the seeming bad luck of continuously messing things up for the mexican cartel. These gradually build from just money and guns, to smuggling people, to drugs and dead bodies. Notice each is more severe than the last. This leads to the shootout at the end.
   Really, the opening lines in the movie is what it is about:
   "I am the police, and I'm here to arrest you. You've broken the law. I did not write the law. I may disagree with the law but I will enforce it. No matter how you plead, cajole, beg or attempt to stir my sympathy. Nothing you do will stop me from placing you in a steel cage with gray bars. If you run away I will chase you. If you fight me I will fight back. If you shoot at me I will shoot back. By law I am unable to walk away. I am a consequence. I am the unpaid bill. I am fate with a badge and a gun. Behind my badge is a heart like yours. I bleed, I think, I love, and yes I can be killed. And although I am but one man, I have thousands of brothers and sisters who are the same as me. They will lay down their lives for me and I them. We stand watch together. The thin-blue-line, protecting the prey from the predators, the good from the bad. We are the police."
   Throughout the movie, you see every single bit of that.
   ^^Agreed. Great post.
   "I am the ultimate badass, you do not wanna *beep* wit me!"- Hudson in Aliens.

An excellent summation Rabid Deer of a very fine film! It was startling in its intensity.

What was the point? Well, what did you watch? If you saw the same movie, you saw the interactions of two courageous if not over emboldened police officers that unknowingly get pulled into an ordeal with a drug cartel. It depicts what it might be like in South East LA. Through this movie, you learn that not all police are jerks trying to give tickets for tax money.
Evidence:

1. These two do not give tickets. See the scene where they are lectured about not giving tickets
2. The fight scene with Tre (and later the scene with Tre saying they were good cops), and when they dont turn Tre in for a more severe sentence for life.
3. The fire scene where they save 3 kids, despite it not being part of their jobs
   Time and again we are shown things which show they are great cops. And with the documentary style filming it wants us to see not all cops are bad, or mean, or spiteful, or anything. They are cops, and they are people.
   The plot of the movie is driven forward by their relationship and the seeming bad luck of continuously messing things up for the mexican cartel. These gradually build from just money and guns, to smuggling people, to drugs and dead bodies. Notice each is more severe than the last. This leads to the shootout at the end.
   Really, the opening lines in the movie is what it is about:
   "I am the police, and I'm here to arrest you. You've broken the law. I did not write the law. I may disagree with the law but I will enforce it. No matter how you plead, cajole, beg or attempt to stir my sympathy. Nothing you do will stop me from placing you in a steel cage with gray bars. If you run away I will chase you. If you fight me I will fight back. If you shoot at me I will shoot back. By law I am unable to walk away. I am a consequence. I am the unpaid bill. I am fate with a badge and a gun. Behind my badge is a heart like yours. I bleed, I think, I love, and yes I can be killed. And although I am but one man, I have thousands of brothers and sisters who are the same as me. They will lay down their lives for me and I them. We stand watch together. The thin-blue-line, protecting the prey from the predators, the good from the bad. We are the police."
   Throughout the movie, you see every single bit of that.

do movies have points now?
provide an example, please.

Despite inevitably sounding like a snob, my opinion is this:
End of Watch portrays many layers of realism in the characters (more so than in most/many films).
Their relationship is portrayed over a short period of time, demonstrating in action what it is like to police the Southern Californian streets.
Without giving anything away, the character arcs come full circle as is the standard formula for an ending. (I am not complaining it was done very well)
Generally, the step away from the normal mechanic of telling a dramatic story in time, is what I believe has led you and others to 'miss the point,' so to speak. I believe people are conditioned to seek the standard formulaic arcs of most films, and when they differ, have trouble seeing the story and characters for what they are.
The screenplay of training day is a valid comparison; both being written by Ayer, but these are different films.
I believe training day to be a study of corruptibility of self relating to power held by police on the streets. The character development here is awesome, and D. Washington puts in a stellar performance as always. Training day then has a dramatic climax that comes out of left field, although its always lying there underneath what you see as the viewer, as an ominous almost inevitability. This aspect is similar in End of Watch(in the sense of the cartel threat), but the story is more grounded in the reality of the everyday grind, and is based around the two's relationship (which is a powerful thing)
I mean no offense by anything I've said. I enjoyed the movie a whole lot, as with Training Day, and also Harsh times and street kings. All different, all realistic and very visceral and cathartic. Ayers next looks laughable with Arnie in the lead. in my opinion

The ending felt a little like the ending of Platoon to me. At the end of Platoon, your left asking what was the point of a 2 hour movie that goes no where? The point of that movie was war is pointless and only a result of politicians who cant make friends with the people over there.
The point of this movie seemed to me to be a condenced version of what cops in big cities go through. Not every cop is going to break ALL the biggest cases. This is just sort of showing what its like to deal with some of the things they deal with.
Ive got respect for the good cops, its just that all the media shows is corruption in the police forces. God forbid they show corruption in politics.
David Caruso "Worst actor ever!"

The point of this movie is to have respect for the people that risk their lives to protect others from criminals.

thats what i came to find out
the movie was entertaining, i just expected it to go somewhere? wasnt necessarily an overarcing storyline

its a character study about two cops
its goal was for you to get inside the life of these two in a way no other cop movie has done.
its basic, but was very effective as a drama and to shed some light on current events with the mexican cartel

I think the point was that, no matter how miserable "cops" make our lives, by enforcing the laws (especially the ones that irritate us), they are there when you dial "911". They are there when you are in a burning building, after you are mugged, they are the ones who not only help but put their lives on the line and deserve some empathy for the crazy stuff they see and have to deal with on a daily basis.

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suzycreamcheese RIP Heath Ledger 1979-2008

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I thought it was horrible and really was with the intent to make as much money as possilbe. It's all about the money, the director had no hidden agenda. I am so tired of shaky cam and found footage, why can't they be honest and be required to say poorly filmed, directed and editted to look bad intentionally. I am so glad I paid the extra dollar to see it in HD on demand. I'm sorry I just want to be entertained by a movie not pushed to the verge of nausea by a bad film

Like any movie, to tell a story. Not every movie needs to have some ulterior motive or deep underlining meaning. Stories can simply be that; a tale about the lives of people and what happened to them in a span of time.

Certainly looks more real than most depictions of cops. Distinct lack of donuts, speeding tickets, and all-around douche-baggery. They aren't trigger-happy idiots, either.

"Real people"? Yeah, right.

That was NOT an accurate depiction of cop work, AT ALL.

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Yes okay but no place for generalisation is the point. So yeah some people will say a real cop has pulled them over, taking advantage of his authority throwing chicken$hit around $hit like that well guess what - other people will say that a cop has saved their life, maybe taken a bullet for them in some cases. Seems like you're generalising. Are you not aware that y'know, some cops are good, and some cops are bad. And besides that it's barely ever so black and white anyway, and y'know some good cops with the right intentions might just make mistakes or make a bad call like pulling someone over and gettin' something overall quite trivial a little wrong. You know someone perfect? Show me.
"I'm the mother focker that found this place sir"

It all depends. For cops in most municipalities, it is a pretty hum-drum job. However, being a cop in a South East LA is another animal entirely. Huge gang presence and those guys spend most of their time fighting real crime and not hassling regular citizens. When I lived in L.A., I never worried about getting a traffic ticket (and I never did) because I knew LAPD had better things to do*
*Those farking meter maids will never cut you a break however.
There are no ordinary moments. There is always something going on. Peaceful Warrior