The Guard

This was shown during the Film Festival, missed it then, but it came to the theatres afterwards. So, yay, I managed to watch The Guard.

An odd movie, this is about Sergeant Boyle, an Irish Garda (guardian / policeman), who's locale is selected as the place to do a drug trafficking deal. However, Boyle isn't a standard policeman, and for a while it's a toss up as to which side he would fall on (consider the first time we see him, trying drugs, and later selling guns). He also has to deal with FBI agent Wendell Everett, who is far more competent, but unliked in his dealings with the community. All that, and the drug dealers have no concerns about offing those in their way...

This isn't trying to be a likeable movie, it has some charm, but it does become an effort to continue watching. Boyle, played by Brendan Gleeson, does not present qualities that make him a hero, and Everett, played by Don Cheadle, gets undercut far too often to maintain credibility. By the time the ending rolls around, it's more the movie getting back to the typical scene than really playing out the characters as previously presented.

It's a movie worth watching, but one you have to be in the mood for.


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