Review of The Guard (2011) by Krisstolliday14 — 08 Sep 2016

Fresh, exciting, funny and at the same time frustrating as hell. The frustration however doesn't come from negativity but in the sense that I wanted to see more. The narrative really ramps up two thirds of the way through, and the interaction between Gleeson and Cheadle reaches it's peak, and then within ten minutes it is all over and I was gutted.

The script here is brilliant. It doesn't rely heavily on narrative but more the likability of the characters. The interaction from Gleeson's Boyle is hilarious. In one scene whilst being threatened he manages to give himself brain freeze from a chocolate milkshake, or even discusses owning a giraffe whilst at gun point, down to asking if getting shot hurts moments before joining a gun fight.

This is what keeps the Guard moving swiftly and for what it lacks in plot and subplot it makes up for with the characters. The end however does feel out of place and although unconventional doesn't wrap the film up in the way it should have done.

The villains are one dimensional and the characters wasted on the top cast but if you watch this to enjoy the camaraderie of the leads then you will not be disappointed.