Drugs. Murder. Blackmail. Bright colors. These are just a few of the elements in this hilariously unconventional buddy cop film titled The Guard. First-time writer/director John Michael McDonagh tells the tale of Irish policeman, Sgt Gerry Boyle (Brendan Gleeson, In Bruges) who’s put in the middle of a drug trafficking investigation with a FBI Agent, Wendell Everett (Don Cheadle, Iron Man 2, Traitor).
Sgt Boyle is not the ambitious type. He’s living a comfortable life in a semi-crime-free little town and doesn’t really care much to investigate the strange rash of criminal behavior. Wendell, on the other hand, is the type that is married to his job and takes it very seriously. This is the typical mix of characters, however, the dialogue is so fantastic, that it completely separates itself from others of its kind. (The heavy Irish accent can be hard to catch at times, so I look forward to seeing on Bluray with subtitles.)
Who remembers In Bruges? If you don’t, seriously, go get it right now. Put in on your Netflix queue or however you watch movies. Just like In Bruges, Brendan Gleeson is so perfectly cast in this film. He plays Sgt Gerry Boyle on a line of stupidity and brilliance that it’s central to the character. It’s hard to pinpoint his motives and it really works. I really look forward to seeing him direct the upcoming At Swim-Two-Birds with Michael Fassbender, Colin Farrell and Brendan Gleeson‘s son, Domhnall Gleeson.
Don Cheadle as Agent Wendell Everett Photo by Jonathan Hession, Courtesy of Sony Pictures Classics
Adding to the wonderfulness is Mark Strong (Sherlock Holmes, Rock N Rolla) playing one of the drug traffickers. Often these roles are rigid and one-dimensional, but here, he’s a career criminal that’s become bored with his life and is annoyed with the other criminals he encounters. It’s fresh and he delivers the dialogue with comedic perfection.
Don Cheadle as Agent Wendell Everett Photo by Jonathan Hession, Courtesy of Sony Pictures Classics
Don Cheadle as the FBI Agent Wendell Everett is totally out of his element as he tries to investigate in the tight-knit Irish community. He reluctantly relies on Sgt Boyle and must learn to work with him. These two balance each other out, giving justification to why all buddy cop films have two complete opposites working together.
Don Cheadle as Agent Wendell Everett Photo by Jonathan Hession, Courtesy of Sony Pictures Classics
Even in the first 5 minutes of the film, I was hooked. I hate to get gushy on movies because it can tend to build it up too much, so I’ll just say that it deserves an audience.
Official Selection:
2011 Sundance Film Festival
2011 Berlin International Film Festival
2011 Tribeca Film Festival
2011 Los Angeles Film Festival
Rating: Fresh, hilarious, funny and worth the price of admission. 8/10
In limited release on July 29, 2011.
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