Monday, January 16, 2012

The Guard (2011)

Let me start out by saying I loved In Bruges. A terrifically dark film and one of my favorite comedies of the past five years. It also starred Brendan Gleeson and was directed by Martin McDonagh, whose brother John Michael directed The Guard. The similarities don't just end there.

Gerry Boyle (Gleeson) is an unorthodox small-town Irish police officer. He wants to be Dirty Harry and loves hookers. One day, Boyle and his new partner come across a dead man in a rural home. A few days later, his department is treated to a visit from FBI agent Wendell Everett (Don Cheadle). He explains to Boyle and the other cops that the FBI is tracking a drug shipment to a nearby port. Turns out, the dead man Boyle found was involved in the trafficking. Soon after that, Boyle's brash, young partner goes missing and his wife is constantly at Boyle's side trying to find out why. Now, this unlikely duo must partner up to try and find these dangerous criminals who weren't thought to be in the country for some time.

This movie was made for dark humor aficionados. I'm not going to say it's as good as In Bruges, but it's definitely funny. Brendan Gleeson has a quick wit about him and his chemistry with Don Cheadle makes this a very enjoyable film. Thrown in Mark Strong, who is good in everything, as one of the drug traffickers and that makes it all the better. The Guard did get a few points knocked off for the ending. It's not that it didn't make sense or that it wasn't satisfying, it was just poorly put together. The whole sequence felt more rushed than it should have. That said, I'd still recommend this to anyone who loves a good dark comedy. Grade: B

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