The Guard Review

If you’re short on money and can only see one movie this week, make it The Guard, a black comedy playing at Cinemapolis. The story follows unusual Irish policeman Gerry Boyle (Brendan Gleeson) and straight-laced FBI agent Wendell Everett (Don Cheadle) who team up to find a drug-smuggling ring rumored to be planning a visit to Boyle’s small Gaelic town. Boyle’s love for prostitutes, concern for his sick mother, and his apparent complete indifference toward the crimes he investigates combines with Everett’s aggravated determination to work with Boyle despite his unorthodox ways, making for an incredibly funny thriller. Though the film is filled with such dark events, the audience clings to Boyle’s simple outlook on life and his comedic relief in the dire situations presented.

Although some of the jokes are definitely off-color, their juxtaposition is perfectly measured. When Everett confronts Boyle about his racism, he’s quick to respond, “I’m Irish. Racism is part of my culture,” which, as a multi-layer crack at racism, makes us smile impulsively along with Boyle. The rest of the prejudiced gutter humor is intelligent and works for the characters and the world they inhabit.

Without the humor, the movie sounds very dark. The plot involves murders, ruthless drug-smugglers, prostitutes and a lovely widow, but these topics cannot bring down the comedic relief writer/director John Michael McDonagh writes into this (eventually) heart-warming story.

Being a British/Irish film, there may be skeptics out there afraid they won’t understand the humor or the actor’s accents, but this was never an issue thanks to lots of situational humor and some incredibly witty one-liners that ebb and flow without being too over the top. McDonagh’s strong writing keeps any foreign humor from being lost in translation.

McDonagh also writes scenes between Gleeson and Cheadle’s characters remarkably well and the leads deliver amazing performances. Whether they’re having coffee and arguing about Boyle’s day off, driving and discussing Boyle’s adult trip to Disneyland, or confronting a group of drug-smugglers with machine guns, the pair has appropriately awkward chemistry.

But they’re not the only stars of the show. Mark Strong, known for his portrayals of villains in movies like Sherlock Holmes, Kick-Ass, and Robin Hood, delivers here once again. His character, Clive, is the brains of the drug-smuggling gang that appears in Boyle’s backyard and probably has the most common sense out of everyone, despite being a drug-dealing murderer.

In the end, this film is about a small town Irish cop with flexible morals and a lack of respect for even his own authority who realizes he needs to step up his game when things get real. Full of murder, drugs, blackmail, criminals and cops, this story sheds new light on what it means to be a small town, carefree cop when things get personal. Funny and unexpectedly touching, this film would be good for anyone who craves black comedy.

If you enjoy the cast of this comedy, you can see them all in upcoming films. Gleeson will appear in another thriller, The Raven, in early 2012 and it’s rumored that he’ll be starring in a romantic comedy set in 1951 about John Ford’s film The Quiet Man in 2012. Don Cheadle is currently filming a made-for-TV comedy called House of Lies alongside Kristen Bell and Anna Camp, and keep your eyes peeled for Mark Strong in Welcome to the Punch, a crime/action movie with James McAvoy out in 2012, and Black Gold, a drama coming out this Christmas about a 1930’s Arab prince.