Review of The Guard (2011) by Ryan C — 11 Feb 2012
From the moment we see Brendon Gleeson's guarda patiently wait for a group of boy racers to fatally crash their vehicle and then rifle through their pockets in search of narcotics for his own use, we know he's either a crooked cop or a cynical one.
He fritters his hard-earned on hookers and spews racial stereotypes to his unimpressed American parter, played by Don Cheadle. He says utterly tactless, offensive things with what appears to be a sweet naivety, so it's impossible to dislike him. "I thought you black lads couldn't swim. Or is it ski? I can't remember.".
The Guard has the grand formulaic ideas of American cop-buddy movies, yet is filtered through that familiar, stereotypically insular Celtic setting that you might find in Father Ted. The result is a very amusing, clever, and at times melancholic, comedy reminiscent of In Bruges, which is unsurprising seeing as the director's brother helms this one.
This review of The Guard (2011) was written by Ryan C on 11 Feb 2012.
The Guard has generally received positive reviews.
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