Don't Overlook It: The Guard
By Tom Houseman
September 5, 2011
BoxOfficeProphets.com
Is it just me, or has practically every buddy cop comedy made in the last decade been terrible? Because I love Kevin Smith so intensely, I can only assume that Smith tried to make Cop Out as unwatchably bad as possible to ensure that nobody would ever make another comedy about cops. But considering that I love laughing at law enforcement officials, and most police officers don't enjoy being laughed at very much, what am I supposed to do? Clearly the answer is to turn to Europe. A few years ago, of course, there was Edgar Wright's brilliant spoof Hot Fuzz, and this year we have John Michael McDonough's delightful directorial debut, The Guard.
I knew virtually nothing about this movie going into it except that it starred Brendan Gleeson, but really, what other reason would I need? Brendan Gleeson is one of my favorite character actors, stealing every scene of Harry Potter 4 as Mad-Eye Moody and being generally badass in 28 Days Later, but it was his awe-inspiring hilarity in the comedic gem In Bruges that made me fall in love with him. The man does not make enough comedies, so I jump at any chance I get to see him in lighter fare, and I was not disappointed. Gleeson is able to affect this superb bluntness that somehow makes everything he says, no matter how ridiculous or offensive, side-splittingly funny.
And a lot of what his character says is extremely ridiculous and offensive. The Guard is about an Irish policeman who is forced in over his head when what starts as a run-of-the-mill murder turns out to be just one part of a complicated drug smuggling ring. Sergeant Gerry Boyle (Gleeson) is a selfish, racist cop who prefers spending his time with whores to enforcing the law, but as he was the one to investigate the murder, he is put in charge of the drug investigation and paired with straitlaced FBI Agent Wendell Everett (Don Cheadle) who is unwilling to put up with any of Boyle's shit.
Yes, Gleeson is the main draw, but there are so many reasons to go see The Guard even if you don't love him as much as I do (and Brendan, if you're reading this, you should know that nobody could ever love you as much as I do). John McDonough is the brother of playwright and filmmaker Martin McDonough, and clearly being really funny is in their blood. McDonough's script does not achieve the sublime brilliance of In Bruges, but there are some superb moments of culture clash between Boyle and Everett and a few truly ridiculous lines. A discussion among three drug runners of their favorite philosophers is just one of many unique bits of absurdity to be found in The Guard. But even beyond the comedy, there is a well-developed plot that moves the film forward, rarely dragging and keeping the film entertaining.
To say that Don Cheadle is wonderful seems unnecessary, because he is always wonderful, especially when allowed to flash his comedic chops in films like Ocean's 11 and Talk to Me, but I do have to say it: Don Cheadle is absolutely wonderful. Yes, he is the straight man that Gleeson gets to play off of, but he never wastes a moment he is on screen, scoring some huge laughs both against Gleeson and when he gets his few moments by himself. Not surprisingly, these two outstanding actors have wonderful chemistry, reminding us what makes a buddy cop movie great.
The Guard has some truly memorable moments and a number of great performances by the film's ensemble that keep this film fun to watch from start to finish. It never gets dull and manages to have some emotional resonance to it, which is sadly unusual for a comedy these days. Even more important, you don't have to turn your brain off to enjoy The Guard, making it stand out from most summer movies. Especially compared to the embarrasingly bad buddy cop movies that I've tried to sit through recently, The Guard is a breath of fresh air.