Well now, here’s
a movie for fans of British/English-style comedy. The Guard is a
delightful Irish buddy cop comedy film released in 2011.
The story is
strange—but strange in a good way—as the director takes us on a Rush Hour (1998)
kind of trip. This time, though, the person flanking the American is crazy,
unstable, and an interesting Irish fellow.
The Guard was
written and directed by John Michael McDonagh, and while the story is good,
it’s Brendan Gleeson’s portrayal of Sgt. Gerry Boyle that makes this movie
stand out. In this film, he always leaves you smiling when he opens his mouth
to deliver a vulgar response to an innocent question or remark.
Gleeson brought
life to what might have otherwise been an overlooked movie. He made sure you’d
totally love the character of Sgt. Boyle, and the movie’s ending has a bit of
an action façade, making you forget that this is a buddy cop dark comedy and
not a Rambo (1982) or Commando-style action film.
The Guard’s storytelling is very unique, even though the pace does drag in some places. Unlike other buddy cop movies where you can guess your way through, this one is full of unexpected twists, a bit too much, causing it to lose focus at times.. This style earned the movie plenty of recognition from over 20 different film award programs and festivals, including the Golden Globe, BAFTA, and the Irish Film and Television Awards, where it won five awards.
The film
introduces our protagonist, Sgt. Boyle, as an intelligent, carefree, and rude
Irish police officer whose idea of a joke is a racist comment to an African
American FBI agent (Don Cheadle) sent to Ireland to stop a suspected drug
trafficking scheme.
A three-man
drug-dealing team is on the ground in Ireland, awaiting a shipment of cocaine
worth over $500 million. They decide the best way to succeed is by buying off
anyone who could be a stumbling block to their success.
They just didn’t
count on Sgt. Boyle being stubborn.
While Gleeson is great in this movie, the supporting characters don’t get enough depth, so some interactions feel flat.
The Guard was a critical and commercial success, and it’s the kind of movie you can chill back and watch with the Mrs. while sending the kids to the cinema to watch Disney’s Finding Dory (2016). I encourage you to see this movie and find out for yourself why it received so much recognition. Be warned, though—the movie is Irish, so you may have to listen attentively! It leans heavily on Irish quirks that might not land for everyone.
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