Who doesn’t love a good fish-out-of-water tale? I can remember when I saw the trailer for “The Guard” and being extremely excited to see the movie — not only for Brendan Gleeson's impeccable timing, but also for the fact that writer-director John Michael McDonagh is the brother of Martin McDonagh, the writer-director of the hilariously dark "In Bruges." But unfortunately, halfway through the viewing, I was tempted to hit the big old stop button, as the wit is used up in that trailer and viewers aren't left with much more through the rest of the movie.
“The Guard” is about Sergeant Gerry Boyle (Gleeson), a small-town Irish cop who complacently makes his way through his life and job. Boyle has a mouth that fires quicker than his gun, and his routine is bent out of shape when he’s partnered with FBI agent Wendell Everett (Don Cheadle) to bring down a trio of drug traffickers.
This movie felt like a huge bait-and-switch. You watch the trailer and see Gleeson stepping up as the front runner and creating a character so irredeemable that you just have to root for him, Cheadle as a comical punching bag and Mark Strong as the criminal mastermind. You think you are in for the same cinematic gold as “In Bruges,” but lightning rarely strikes twice.
I am not a person who likes to shut off movies once I start them. I have only stopped three movies before the end, and “The Guard” almost made number four. There was no depth to the story. I mean, honestly, I feel like I should just stop writing my review halfway through. I just hope that you take my word for it that this movie isn’t going to be as good as one would hope.
As for special features, well, I couldn’t really bring myself to watch any of the special features. There are outtakes, deleted and extended scenes and commentary from the cast.
Film: 1 Yap