pyrocitor There's a great gag at the end of The Guard that stops just shy of the line of excessively meta, in which the resident cheeky photography (Laurence Kinlan) quips that the ensuing carnage would normally be a flashy bloodbath told from the perspective of the FBI or CIA, with all of the simple Irish country folk marginalized as one-note background players. Our resident FBI narc (Don Cheadle, still best in the business at sardonic comebacks), is not amused, but it's here that the ultimate objective of John Michael McDonagh's cop (or, as the Gaelic would have it, 'Garda,' hence the title) comedy pokes out through the Burren. The Guard's intent is not to reinvent the wheel, but merely to give it a spin, seeing how the stereotypically North American genre plays out in the beautiful Galway countryside. And how does it play out? Really fook*n' well, to be sure.McDonagh, in case you were wondering, is the brother of In Bruges director Martin McDonagh, and there's no contesting that the two are cut very much from the same craic. The Guard's script, which offers just whiffs of early Tarantino, Shane Black, and even Truffaut, is Irish through-and-through, in that it plays for sly and witty more than laugh-out-loud funny, with no distracting stylistic flourishes or other such nonsense. McDonagh isn't much fussed by plot, and he certainly isn't in a hurry, allowing his film to shamble along, drinking in character beats and collecting amusing subplots along the way (see Brendan Gleeson's nonconformist cop Boyle take his mother – the delightfully twee but profane Fionnula Flanagan - to the pub, fence firearms to the IRA – here represented by Pat Shortt's amiable cowboy, and take a day off work to cavort with a pair of the cheeriest prostitutes in cinema history). Audiences unaccustomed to this more leisurely pace might find The Guard to drag and feel overlong, even at only 96 minutes, but there are so many sparkles of enjoyment throughout that it's hard not to get comfortable and enjoy the stupendous Galway scenery along the way.The most gleeful: the inevitable ending dockside shootout. You know you're not in Hollywood territory when the introduction of an AK-47 is greeted with bug-eyed scorn ("what're you doing bringing that cannon here?!"), and the entirety of the subsequent showdown, while still exhilarating, still manages to be the most grounded and reasonable take on what would be overblown intensified continuity elsewhere. Boyle and his drug-smuggling foes (top character actors Liam Cunningham, Mark Strong, and David Wilmot, all in hilariously eloquent and introspective form) stop not once but twice to have a pleasant chat in the midst of a firefight, and Strong even goes as far as to murmur "good shot…" in his dying breath. You practically await rapiers to be drawn.Ultimately, The Guard is worth its weight in Guinness if only as a rare but welcome starring vehicle for the peerlessly delightful Gleeson. His craggy face illuminating with the irreverent sparkle of jauntily letting rip with some of the most jaw-dropping politically incorrect slurs (Boyle is evidently not racist, but seems to enjoy playing the part to rile people up) or cheerily skimming drugs off dead bodies, before sliding into more sombre, tender emotional moments, revealing it all to be a defensive mechanism, Gleeson effortlessly plays his tricky character like a finely tuned fiddle. Whether hilariously sparring with Cheadle's beleaguered agent, or misting with sadness while mocking tottering retirees with his mum, Gleeson is simply a joy to watch from start to finish.The Guard is neither the most original nor memorable of buddy-cop romps, but McDonagh's film, in reworking the iconography while toying with pleasantly offensive Irish pastiche, is so hugely fun it's hard to resist. Throw in the never-better Gleeson and Cheadle as perfectly witty sparring partners, and you're in for a relatively peaceful, rollicking good time. All the while, you can mull over Cheadle's query – "I can't tell if you're really motherf*cking smart or really motherf*cking dumb". Gleeson's sly smile provides all the answer you need. -8/10

blanche-2 Brendan Gleeson and Don Cheadle star in "The Guard," a 2011 Irish film written and directed by John Michael McDonagh.Gleeson plays Sgt. Gerry Boyle, an Irish policeman. He's outspoken, doesn't mind stepping on toes, likes prostitutes, and has a mother who is dying.An FBI agent (Cheadle) from Atlanta arrives to find and arrest members of a cocaine smuggling ring. He and Boyle have to work together, and it's an uneasy alliance.This is a quirky film with both humor and drama that mix well. Underneath all the insults, the two men like and respect one another even while they're driving each other crazy.All of the acting is excellent, with Cheadle handing in another fine performance as the strict, by the book agent. Fionnula Flanagan plays Boyle's mother, whose son keeps her laughing throughout her illness. The drug ring members are appropriately slimy -- Mark Strong reminded me of Stanley Tucci. Gleeson is perfection as an outrageous cop, raising his hand during Cheadle's speech about the case to the police and saying, "I thought only blacks were drug dealers." The ending is ambiguous, but it works, as does the whole film. I like McDonagh's approach and will be seeking out his other work. His brother Martin was responsible for the film "In Bruges," also with Brendan Gleeson.

LeonLouisRicci This Film was Made in Ireland by Irishmen. The Accents are as Thick as the Profanity in this Satirical Ethnic Crime Film. There is a lot of Humor Derived from Stereotypical Racism, so if that Offends, Stay Away from this. Ditto if Four Letter Words Turn You off.At Times Raunchy, but it is All Done with such Light-Heartedness that it Smooths Over Quite Nicely. Brenden Gleeson's Star Turn is Admirable and Along with the Sharp and Delightful Cinematography Carry the Show. There is a Bit of Bite to the Dialog and the Film Fluctuates from Warm-Hearted Taking Care of Mom Stuff to Philosophical Rants from Unlikely Criminals and Such, a Modern Flourish that hasn't Worn Out its Welcome.Don Cheadle Plays Don Cheadle and is there Mostly to take the Brunt of Gleeson's Riffs on Drugs, Sex, Race, Crime, and Corruption. The Film Stays Fresh in a Genre and Style that is Getting Quite Old but Still has some Staying Power when it is done with Wit and Heart.

Red_Identity Having seen Calvary first, it reminds me a lot of it (for obvious reasons, of course). The difference between the two is that this is definitely more of a comedy than a drama, whereas Calvary is much more solemn and much more of a drama. Gleeson is great in this, totally in- character and off-kilter as much as the role really required. Cheadle is solid, although definitely doesn't have as much to do as Gleeson. The supporting cast is aces, and the plot, while hard to follow at times, really does take conventionality and gives it a new spin and twist. I don't think this is great or anything, but it's certainly a very solid film.