Director: John Michael McDonagh
Cast: Brendan Gleeson, Don Cheadle, Mark Strong, Liam Cunningham, David Wilmot
Running time: 96 minutes
Certificate: 15
Synopsis: ‘An unorthodox Irish policeman with a confrontational personality is teamed up with an uptight FBI agent to investigate an international drug-smuggling ring’.
The first feature from writer – director John Michael McDonagh (brother of IN BRUGES director Martin McDonagh) THE GUARD is a film that shares the unusual mix of the humour of a FATHER TED episode, and the dark moral code of BAD LIEUTENANT. The film is set in a small village in modern day Ireland which becomes an unlikely haven for heavy hitting drug traffickers who border between psychotic criminal masterminds and bumbling idiots.
Brendan Gleeson stars as Sergeant Gerry Doyle, a local police chief, who when not fraternising with the local prostitutes, and dropping dead joy-riders stolen acid tabs, is a very accomplished cop with a nose for sniffing out things that are not the norm in his part of the world. After a gruesome murder with what seems to have ritualistic connections, Doyle immediately suspects all may not be as it appears and when he soon forms an unlikely partnership with FBI Agent Wendell Everett (Don Cheadle) who has arrived in the area to smash a major drug smuggling operation, the two officers soon discover that their cases are more closely linked than they could have anticipated, The first encounter of the main characters together with a room full of Doyle’s colleagues at a case briefing is a particular stand-out with Gleeson showcasing what he does best when given a lead role. Things come to a head when Doyle’s new deputy (Rory Keenan) stumbles unwittingly across the three suspects leaving Doyle and Everett on a collision course with the drug runners and the corrupt system upon which their careers have been forged.
Director John Michael McDonagh rises above the usual clichéd fish out of water setting with Cheadle effortlessly juggling the authentic small Irish village scene with the local bobby, his slick uptight FBI Agent is perfect foil for Gleeson. The high tension setting of an international drug smuggling ring in a believable if some what surprising location for this type of genre makes this a thoroughly enjoyable viewing experience that is highly recommended. THE GUARD is a great example of the bringing together of two polar opposites and the pairing of the two main characters is in the same vein as classic buddy action comedies such as MIDNIGHT RUN and 48 HOURS without the obvious slick Hollywood polish. As an audience we are drawn in to the plight of Doyle who is brought to life by the magnificent performance of Brendan Gleeson, with his portrayal of his Doyle character that is crying out for his own franchise.
A movie set in a small rural village in Ireland may not usually appeal to many avid movie goers, but when that movie features talent like the always reliable Brendan Gleeson, Academy Award nominee Don Cheadle (who also acts as producer) and whose sharp dialogue features so many quotable lines then it should register prominently on the radar of a few more film fans. The criminals themselves are also perfect casting (particularly Liam Cunningham and David Wilmot) with the banter between them creating a few memorable scenes with Mark Strong’s unshowy laid back lead villain. For a movie with such a serious subject matter, the laughs really do come thick and fast with Gleeson’s cantankerous and sarcastic exchanges with Cheadle’s by the book ‘Fed’ make this film a hilarious change from the usual buddy cop genre and easily make it unmissable. Fans of Gleeson’s earlier work THE GENERAL and the similar themed buddy comedy I WENT DOWN (which is still a miss on DVD since its limited cinema run and video release in 1997) are in for a treat!
Released August 19th 2011
