Customer Reviews

The Guard [Blu-ray]

5 star:		(32)
4 star:		(9)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(9)

 

 

32 of 38 people found the following review helpful: Reviewed September 8, 2011. Original reviews of this product have been deleted by Amazon.

Michael John McDonagh previously wrote the screenplay for Ned Kelly starring Heath Ledger which I remember as a good movie. His brother Martin has won an Academy Award nomination, for Best Original Screenplay for In Bruges, which also starred Brendan Gleeson, and what I consider the best performance of Colin Farrell's career, and an Academy award for the short feature Six Shooter, A Collection of 2005 Academy Award Nominated Short Films, also starring Brendan Gleeson, and at least two other characters you will see in The Guard, written and directed by MJ.

As the movie begins we see Gerry Boyle, the guard played by BG, in his white squad car parked behind a stone wall, when a red car whizzes by. He does not respond to the speeding car. His response to what happens next, has no words, yet it establishes the nature of the character, as he rummages through pockets, and does something with the drugs. We can deduce that here is a guard that does not follow the established rules, and in fact may even be corrupt.

Next we see him responding to a murder scene. Here we get a truer sense of his character by how he acts around the new cop who will be his partner. Here the comedic tone of the movie gets established. He likes to push buttons and get a reaction. They theorise about the murder, a potted plant placed on the victim's crotch, the significance of the number 5 1/2 painted on the wall. Perhaps he was the 5 1/2th victim, the young one theorises.

Like another reviewer I was struck by the parallels with the Coen Brothers, particularly Fargo, and No Country For Old Men. Instead of the barren landscapes of Minnesota, and the quirky Nordic accents of Minnesotans, we have the bog landscape of the Wesht of Ireland, and the quirks and mores of the locals. We have sociopathic criminals. We also have the quirky Spaghetti Western music, reinforcing the ironic tone. We also have a trace of Ryan's Daughter, and a half cracked young lad on a bike, who mirrors John Hurt's character in that movie. We have murderous criminals who debate their favorite philosophers as they drive along.

So, strait laced, by the book FBI agent Wendell Evers played by Don Cheadle, moseys into town, hot on the trail of an international smuggling ring hoping to land half a billion dollars worth of drugs in Ireland. Instantly, this sets up a culture clash, with Boyle making racially insensitive comments. When rebuked, his response. "I'm Irish. Racism is part of our culture."

When Boyle is by himself he wanders his house in his red or yellow y fronts scratching. He does not seem like a brilliant cop. However, not following the book, opens up levels of resourcefulness for him. Guards don't carry firearms in Ireland, yet in a prescient way he manages to acquire weapons, donating the balance to the local IRA man who wears a cowboy hat. With his seeming amorality, you wonder if when push comes to shove, he will back off and let the criminals do their thing or if he will intervene.

Perhaps my favorite scene, the second derringer scene, reminiscent of similar scenes at the beginning of Inglorious Basterds, and final scene with Woody Harrelson in No Country for Old Men. Life and death hangs in the balance.

Boyle tells Evers he came fourth in swimming in the Olympics, which made me search the internet after the movie. The answer may surprise you.

Another theme is the nihilism, which is that events have no inherent meaning, a consistent theme in several Coen Brothers movies.

For non Irish speakers, our FBI detective attempts at one point to interview some Irish speaking people. In speech they refer to him as fear gorm, which the subtitle translates as black man. The word gorm actually means blue. If you were saying it literally, it would be fear dubh (pronounced far duhve).

I know that some people claim that they cannot understand foreign accents. Where on earth do you hear more foreign accents than in North America on a daily basis? If I walk the streets of San Francisco, I will hear German, English, Chinese, Filipino, Mexican, South American, you name it. So, we have Oprah Winfrey, or Sigourney Weaver, narrating BBC produced documentaries because producers think customers cannot discern an English accent. The English in this movie is well spoken with a slight accent. West may be pronounced Wesht, just like Sean Connery doesn't say accent, he says ackshent. Even Schwarzenegger was not the governor of California, he was the governor of Callie phone ee yeah.

I saw this at Robert Redford's Sundance Theater in San Francisco. It was an afternoon show, and the political incorrectness, and several American pop culture references, and fun poking commments resonated with the audience.

If you wish to see Brendan Gleeson in another movie, I recommend John Boorman's The General, where he plays Martin Cahill based on a real life Irish gangster.

So, I loved this movie. I think most people will feel the same way, and I think we have seen a great new talent with Michael John McDonagh, in a very impressive first outing as director. It's clear that talent runs in this family, and perhaps they see parallels between themselves as brothers, and the Coen Brothers. I don't think such a comparison is grandiose, and I wonder if they will work together on future projects. I believe that 'genius, in order to be emulated, must first be imitated.'

Update. 11/30/11. Last week, on my flight back to San Francisco, I watched a program about the making of The Guard, which has become the highest grossing Irish made movie ever at the Irish box office grossing 4.3 million Euros, beating the previous best, The wind That Shakes The Barley, starring Cillian Murphy. To put this this in an American context, it's about $1.50 for every man, woman and child in the country.

I think you will love it, and I hope this was helpful. Thank you.

I never write reviews but I so enjoyed this movie .... saw it 3 times in 2 weeks .... subtitles help a lot .... it hit all the buttons. Funny, warm, artistic, with a bit o'mystery...... loved it and so did all the friends I recommended it to.

I don't remember this movie ever making to the theaters, but this is sometimes a major plus for "unconventional" stories! Leave your sensitivities at the door and just enjoy the honest, funny and completely different story. Wonderfully written and acted by all. This is showing on my local cable pay per view now - well worth the price!

Humor, comedy, and good acting. The combo really go well together and bring the story alive. The script is great and the story does not drag. Definately worth watching it.

Unfortunately, too many reviewers have given away too much of the story.

Fortunately, too few have given away the philosophy, the absurdity and the humor.

This was one of the films I have enjoyed so much that I will watch a few times more for the script, the memorable lines, the characters and the modest but effective cinematography.

There is absolutely no reason to come up with comparisons to other films. It is as much Coen Brothers as it is Groucho Marx or Fellini.

There is politics, sociology, psychology, money, philosophy, sex, reality and hallucination or, if you deem any of these unnecessary in a good movie, you may also be carried away by the violence and slowly boiling up excitement.

I just hope that, the DVD will have English subtitles when it becomes available although I did not find it that difficult to follow as a non-native English speaker.

I have to end with a line by the character least likely to utter these words, "What is it all about?"

What an awesome movie! When my friends dragged me to the movie I didn't want to go because I don't like comedies. It w funny without even trying and very irreverent. No subject was off limits. The jokes, in another context, would give great offense, but here it was all in good fun. The drug dealers, while terrible characters, came off as loveable (sort of) in the end. Great movie, just be prepared some strong language. 2 thumbs up!

Very refreshing to say the least. It is not often that I compliment movies of any kind. I am not anyone. Other then a fellow artist. That enjoys others that do good work.

That inspires values in people.
I believe what this movie supports this.
I have been writing about this subject.
How rare it is.

What has been forgotten in people today. An inner strength with a sense for what is smart and brave. A much better story then the "The Boondock Saints". Because it is not all flowered up. With a butch of movie made up 'junky like' highs. That people are so used too. So then. A much more mature story. Believable story.

To create a movie like this.
Without it being too depressing.
Is why it is so good.
Not only is the movie about the weaknesses of people.
It defies those weaknesses.
With some scruples.

a black comedy that follows in the footsteps of in bruge[brothers wrote the screen plays].has something for everyone,comedy,action and tears!!!an enjoyable watch.

Solid dark humor. All in good measure: some violence (not too much), some leg (very little), lots of dirty language with heavy Irish accent to help broaden one's horizons...

The story is a standard cops-vs-drug-dealers story. The script around it is very funny in a dark sort of way.
The actors are excellent and the whole experience just totals in great entertainment.

I was supposed to return it tonight to those rental machines but guess what, we decided to watch it one more time. It is just a lot of fun.

You know how you go through these huge lists of films, looking for something to watch on the odd night you happen to have time and nothing to do? Scores of crap movies, or movies you've already seen 5 times. And then there's a few you haven't seen before, and 90% of the time it's because there's something wrong with the movie. Usually it's horribly written or overacted, or both.

There's nothing wrong with this movie. From beginning to end, this movie is engaging, it makes you laugh and yet the plot clips along, unfolding at a natural pace, the characters are developed the perfect amount. It doesn't tell too much, but everything is intentional and adds to the story. Usually by Act 4 it all drags, sucks or blows, but this movie doesn't flinch.

There's nothing wrong with this movie.