The Guard (2011)
The Guard (IRE) Directed by John Michael McDonagh Written by John Michael McDonagh Starring Brendan Gleason; Don Cheadle; Liam Cunningham; Mark Strong; David Wilmot; Fionnula Flanagan; Rory Keenan; Dominique McElliott; Katarina Cas;
Brother of award winning playwright and In Bruges (2008) writer and director, Martin, John Michael McDonagh directs from his own script, a dry comedy mirroring his brother’s first feature that also stars Brendan Gleason. Here, the actor plays a local police officer (”Guard” or “Garda”) from Connemara with a shaky moral compass and a joke for all occasions. Gleason has made a career playing a variety of cheeky bastards, and he is solid as Sergeant Gerry Boyle, who comes across a murder that turns out to be connected to a group of nefarious international drug smugglers (ably played by Liam Cunningham; Mark Strong; and David Wilmot). The script is filled with a bevy of funny one liners, many of them having to do with either local, Irish Catholic culture, or their parochial, tongue-in-cheek view of all things American. Don Cheadle plays FBI agent Wendell Everett, who shows up in Ireland intent on stopping the gang (though mostly to act as straight man and ensure some American box office), but predictably finds himself a stranger in a strange land. Cheadle’s character is the weakest element of the film, which does best when immersed with Gleason as he interacts with the colorful locals. While veterans Cunningham; Strong; and Wilmot are funny as the philosophizing gangster trio, the dialogue does smack of overwritten early Tarantino. Though she only appears in a few scenes, Fionnula Flanagan is fantastic as Boyle’s dying mother Eileen, and the rest of the supporting players are also very good. Shot with crisp, vibrant colors, the interiors are designed in solid primary colors, mirroring the richly drawn pallet of Ireland’s land and water. While the formulaic plot is strictly by the book, a deep cast that includes a terrific lead; a smart, amusing script; and the color splashed visuals are enough to make The Guard an entertaining, if not altogether original, watch.