Review of film: “THE GUARD”

2011, 08-08:

Review of film:  “THE GUARD”

Some police-type authorities are strict enforcers who go “by-the-book”.  “Garda” Sergeant Gerry Boyle (BRENDAN GLEESON) tends to behave like he’s “BURNED” the book (& it’s doubtful he’d ever READ it in the first place)...

...  The location is far western Ireland, near Connemara.  He believes in doing things his “OWN” way, & sometimes appears like he’s “making-it-up-as-he-goes-along”... 

...  As the movie begins, some young people are “weaving” down the road in a car.  When the car crashes & kills the occupants, Brendan seems “unperturbed” & appears to SAMPLE some of the DRUGS on one of them...

...  Brendan is NOT pleased to find a new young Garda guy named Aidan McBride (RORY KEENAN) has been assigned from the big-city Dublin area as his assistant...

...  Rory is shocked at the generally “indifferent” way Brendan investigates the murder of a guy who’d been shot in the head seemingly over a DRUG deal.  Brendan tends to ignore & dismiss Rory’s mildly-stated complaints about his “attitude”...

...  Brendan spends a good deal of time diligently attending to his elderly mother, Eileen (FIONNULA FLANAGAN), but lives a very “FREE-WHEELING” life when he’s on his “own”, looking at porn, etc....

...  Arriving in town is a contingent of American FBI agents led by agent Wendell Everett (DON CHEADLE).  Since Brendan doesn’t like anyone interfering in his “bailiwick” --  much less someone from another country --, he tends to be flippant & generally INSULTING towards Don (who doesn’t “appreciate” what he’s given)...

...  Don reports they’d gotten a tip of a huge COCAINE shipment being scheduled for delivery to the area by boat, & wants Brendan’s help in tracking down the 3 crooks who seemed to be involved in the venture. Brendan uses some “dark” humor in showing his displeasure at the FBI’s involvement...

...  The three crooks involved are breezy boss Clive Cornell (MARK STRONG), his wild gunman Francis Sheehy (LIAM CUNNINGHAM), & another gunman named Liam O’Leary (DAVID WILMOT)...

...  Educated Mark tends to have an attitude where it’s a “CHORE” to “put-up” with his 2 assistants, & he tends to “shake his head” in “disbelief” at how generally uneducated they are... 

...  Brendan feels the 3 guys he’s heard of are probably involved with the drug-related murder he’d discovered, but is uneager to share details with DON...

...  At one point, RORY chances upon the car that the 3 crooks are in.  He doesn’t know “who” they are, & isn’t properly careful with them--  which leads to his being KILLED By them...

...  Rory’s wife Gabriela (KATRINA CAS) is very concerned about his sudden disappearance, & talks to Brendan about that.  She reveals various SECRETS about their marriage, including the fact that Rory married her to help provide her with a way of escaping life in Eastern Europe...

...  Periodically, Don tries to DISCUSS the case of the expected drug-shipment with Brendan, such as in a pub...  He still doesn’t value Brendan’s “dark” humor or “ATTITUDE” & the LACK of cooperation he gets from him...

...  While Brendan at times seems to be “investigating” things like Rory’s disappearance, he also lives his life on the “EDGE”— such as getting together with a pair of HOOKERS he brought in from Dublin...

...  At one point, he talks to a smart-aleck young kid who seems to “see” all kinds of things going-on in the area... 

...  The kid leads him to a secret stash of GUNS he’d found--  which Brendan promptly “confiscates” & in part SELLS to a man who seems to be a buyer for the outlawed IRA group...

...  As you can see, Brendan is a “prickly” kind of guy with a strong personal “AGENDA” in life who’s not “EASY” to deal with, as DON keeps learning...  We keep seeing incidents of Brendan using his “OWN way” of doing things as he continues investigating actions of the crooks & all...

...  Will Brendan learn what HAPPENED to Rory?...  Will Brendan’s “independent” ways get him in TROUBLE?...

...  Will he be able to cooperate with Don in a way that’ll HELP Don’s smuggling case?...  Will Brendan be able to stop the CROOKS in their DRUG-shipment plans, &, if so, how will he do it?...

...  This is an unusually CLEVERLY plotted & well-acted film by the main characters, especially BRENDAN in an unforgettable role as the irascible Garda who appears to “guard” his PRIVATE life more than the town he’s working for...

...  Mark gives a fine characterization as the bright mastermind who appreciates BRENDAN’s basic “posture” & brains more than that of his own gunmen... 

...  It’s a FUNNY movie, SMARTLY constructed by writer - director JOHN MICHAEL McDONOUGH...

...  I enjoyed seeing a bunch of “politically-INcorrect” characters who were written to be purposely “different” than the “cookie-cutter” type we so regularly have to suffer-thru in today’s world of movies...

...  The film’s intelligent, HUMOROUS, has a fair amount of ACTION, &, since it’s so much FUN to experience, I’m rating it 8.0 out of 10 stars...

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