Review of The Guardian (2006) by Charlie G — 18 Jul 2010

While watching The Guardian, John Q. Moviegoer will get the feeling that they are sitting through an '80s action flick, ripe with ridiculous high-fiving machismo and a formulaic cocky trainee/grizzled veteran framework. Indeed, when this film was made 20 years ago it starred Richard Gere and Louis Gossett, Jr. in these respective roles, flip-flopped the U.S. Army for the U.S. Navy, and was called An Officer and a Gentleman. Given director Andrew Davis's resume (Under Siege, The Fugitive), this all makes perfect sense. Though formulaic, The Guardian deserves credit for dishing out a detailed, believable, and sometimes humorous account of a Coast Guardsman's harried life...but that's it. Otherwise, it quickly breaks down into choppy waters. Worst, the movie cannot decide how to conclude, opting for layering ending atop ending atop ending, each becoming increasingly outlandish.

In this PG-13-rated drama, expert rescue swimmer Ben Randall (Costner) is sent to teach at "A" School, an elite training program for the U.S. Coast Guard's raw recruits (Kutcher, et al).

A convincing pair, Costner and Kutcher brave the waters well, matching each other's sneering intensity and persuading the audience that they could, at the very least, perform a darn good breast-stroke at high tide. Obligatory love interests Sela Ward and Melissa Sagemiller barely give compelling validation for why they should even be there. Then, the movie ends with a graduation ceremony. Then, the movie ends...over and over and over. By the time the credits roll, the audience feels like they have been treated to more unnecessary endings than The Lord of the Rings, only drenched in salt water.

Bottom line: Shipwreck.