The Guard - Film Review

A novel slant on the 'fish out of water cop' story, one that focusses on the bumpkin defacto partner and plays out as a bantering, rambling dialogue laden black comedy amidst a back story of drug trafficking and duress, The Guard is a fresh, surprising slice of fun from John Michael McDonagh.

On the sleepy, largely Gaellic speaking West coast of Ireland, local Garda (Policeman) Gerry Boyle (Brendan Gleeson) goes about his dull, dysfunctional days like a Bad Lieutenant played for laughs, more interested in procuring some drink and drug for lonely nights and fancy dress hookers for his day off than he is locking down crime scenes. His mother (Fionnula Flanagan) has just been put in a home, and a new recruit (Rory Keenan) is getting on his nerves. And then the narcotics ring shows up.

Boyle, the laconic fool it seems, is thrust upon FBI Agent Wendell Everett (Don Cheadle) as the Fed attempts to track down the gang, and the cringe worthy clashing of cultures commences. Meanwhile, the bad guys themselves (played by Liam Cunningham, Mark Strong and David Wilmot) go about bribing of killing any of the local law enforcement who threaten their operation, bringing them to Boyle's door. Inconvenient for him, since he just wants to be left alone.

As you may well expect from McDonagh (brother of In Bruges' maker Martin), though the plot sounds plenty heavy and crime thriller based, The Guard rarely ventures into serious territory, and even then the exposure to the audience is minimal. This is a comedy, ultimately, though one based on an only slightly altered realm of reality where everyone has hysterical conversations and musings. Drug dealers rack their brains for philosophical quotes, local kids are experts on federal agencies, it's all par to the course.

With a couple of notable, and merited exceptions, the hilarity of the film comes from it's dialogue, full of recurring jokes, double take bafflement and inappropriate casualness, not to mention misconstrued racial slurs and ignorant assumptions. Though Boyle is seen by many as the idiot of the piece, his disdainful approach to life puts him in better stead than the men with guns who seem themselves as better. When it comes to plotting, the film takes an approach which is somewhere between western and noir only for long enough to satirise both, and then get back to
its eccentric heart.

Continuing his long overdue ascension from Hollywood supporting character actor supremo into unconventional leading man, Brendan Gleeson is wonderful here as Boyle, a bizarre and unruly, yet somehow amiable, protagonist who drives the film's shambling story. Though he is on paper unpleasant and morally bankrupt, in practice he is a genial oddball who constantly surprises by being highly effective in his job, at least in the long run.

Gleeson is given great comic foil by Don Cheadle, Hollywood A-picture actor who deliberately stands out like a sore thumb, sent to a comparative back water where the view on Americans is dim, and casual racism is prevelant though not especially malicious. Though Cheadle has to spend much of the film's duration in a perpetual state of bemusement, he still manages to bring a rounded character to Everett, a humanity which could easily have been done without. Iniatially dumbfounded by Boyle from the start, he slowly grows to appreciate his unlikely partner's outlook and enjoy his company. As a double act, unlikely though it is, they are perfect.

The villainous trio of Cunningham, Strong and Wilmot enjoy themselves as the drug traffickers, humourously self aware and often pretentious about their role in proceedings. There's also some nice supporting work from Flanagan, Katarina Cas and Dominique McElligot in hugely varying roles.

But the real joy of The Guard is its attitude, taking a traditional crime story and treating it with very wry, very Irish, humour and giving it real heart in the process, sweary and drink filled though it may be, happy to play into stereotypes and occasionally trapsing into the realms of Coen-esque farce. As a comedy, it succeeds wonderfuly, boasting an intricate and intelligently funny script, but it has more charm and brains than a laugh inducing vehicle. Tongue may firmly be in cheek, but eyebrow is crooked ironically.

As Gerry Boyle says, "That's for me to know, and you to find out".


9/10