The Guard - Movie Review

If you like quirky, idiosyncratic characters, then The Guard is a film you are bound to enjoy. The story is packed with unlikely characters with a diverse set of personality traits and world views. The eccentricities create ample opportunity for wry humor.

The Guardrefers specifically to an Irish Policeman named Sergeant Jerry Boyle (Brendan Gleeson). Sergeant Boyle is not your typical policeman. He drinks beer on duty, he speaks his mind with disregard to the consequences and even admits to doing crack cocaine. His avante garde approach to law enforcement creates tension as well as results. However, his feifdom begins to experience change with the introduction of a new partner from Dublin, Aidan McBride (Rory Keenan).

McBride's arrival coincides with the mysterious murder of a "John Doe." The pair check out the usual suspects, but have no solid leads. That is, until the FBI shows up (Agent Wendell Everett, played by Don Cheadle). Agent Cheadle briefs a room full of Irish Guards on a drug shipment that is destined for port somewhere on the Irish coast. The ship contains 500 million dollars worth of cocaine. The FBI provides photographs of the suspects, one of whom is the deceased "John Doe" that Sergeant Boyle has recently tagged and bagged.

In an unlikely pairing, Agent Everett is forced to rely on the unpredictable Sergeant Boyle. His investigation is frustrated by the closed, Gaelic region that does not shine to outsiders. Boyle and Everett develop an offbeat friendship that eventually allows them to help each other, if not work together on solving the murder and intercepting the incoming drug shipment. Corruption, danger and humor are waiting for them at every turn.

Writer/Director John Michael McDonagh created a warm story with an unlikely cast of characters. It is the character traits that give this film its heartbeat. Philosophical, educated bad guys who experience angst about their own "career path," a cop that doesn't follow the rules, an uptight FBI Agent, and a community full of quirky Irish. The combination worked for me. It was funny listening to bad guys wax philosophical about their work. It was equally fun watching Gleeson deliver the driest pan-faced lines in history. His delivery was awesome, indicating a great match between writer and actor. The broader story is really a vehicle for the offbeat humor...but it also contains a plot with an unpredictable (typically Indie) open ending. I often bristle with endings that leave the audience to decide what happened. Not this time, it was exactly the right ending.

You should recognize Gleeson. He was the character Alastor "Mad Eye" Moody from the Harry Potter films. He has been in a host of films since. Gleeson was the perfect choice for the role of Sergeant Boyle. To make an eccentric character flawed but endearing required a special performance. Gleeson delivered that with the same expertise that he delivered his dry, unflinching comedic lines. His performance was complemented by the more animated Cheadle, who balanced Gleeson's performance nicely. The pair never seemed chummy, but maintained a distant professional respect beneath their own hubris. The pair carried this film, which also featured excellent performances by Mark Strong, Liam Cunningham and David Wilmot as the quirky bad guys. Awesome casting.

The Guardwas rated R by the MPAA. The rating seemed most closely tied to the sexual content, which included a tryst with a couple of women from "The Agency" dressed as police women. While there was no nudity, the thematic aspects were racy. Sergeant Boyle drops acid in one of the first scenes, drinks on duty and admits to taking crack cocaine, so the drug theme were not the type of message you may want young viewers exposed to. The film also included some violence, especially toward the end of the film. Pervasive language was evident throughout the film. Teenage audiences should be fine with this film.

I enjoyed The Guard mostly because of the character development. I love flawed, eccentric characters. The pacing was slow at times and the thick Irish accents difficult to decipher a couple of times (the Gaelic included sub-titles). The plot was also mediocre. The acting was exceptional, the ending strong and the humor dry. I found the film to be funny (although the audience laughed a few times when there wasn't really anything to guffaw about), which is why I go to see a comedy. If you like dry humor and quirky characters then this is a must-see. 7.5/10.

Trailer and images subject to copyright by Reprisal Films.