The Guard

I couldn't help but wonder just how much acting Brendan Gleeson was actually doing here! He really does look like he's enjoying himself as the irreverent Garda officer "Boyle" whose sleepy Irish community finds itself embroiled in an FBI investigation led by "Everett" (Don Cheadle) into a smuggling racket that could involve $500m worth of cocaine. It's fair to say that "Boyle" does things very much his own way, doesn't really care about any hierarchies and the arrival of his by-the-book American counterpart is just a pain in the neck. Quite quickly, we are on the trail of the gang and though their developing relationship does take a fairly predictable path, their dialogue is peppered with some pithy and sarcastic humour and the detective work shows up, quite cleverly, the differences and effectiveness of their methods of policing. All along we know who there baddies are, and Mark Strong and Liam Cunningham deliver quite well as they assume that the local yokel will prove no trouble to their nefarious industry. The end is a little disappointing, but generally the whole thing moves along quickly and entertainingly with their culture clashing personalities well presented by Gleeson and Cheadle avoiding the worst excesses of stereotyping.

**An ordinary cop, enjoying his single life, gets into a real cop business!** I won't say it is an overrated film, but it simply did not work for me. The same director who had made 'Calvary' directed this one as well with Brendon Gleeson in the lead, but that was an earlier project to this one. I loved that film, not this one, though I consider it an average, because I did not find it bad. The theme was very familiar, and too much wasted scenes with the slow narration spoiled my mood. There's no clear perspective of the storytelling, just it concentrated on a small town cop and his single life, and rarely he fights the crime. When an FBI agent comes looking for some international drug dealers, a cop in a small Irish town braced to assist the American officer. Though he never cared to involve in it. He follows his usual lifestyle, enjoying every moment of his life. After a woman comes asking to find his cop husband gone missing, he now gets into the action. How serious he makes progress in the case and its result is the rest of the film to disclose. It's not as funny as I anticipated. But watchable film for its quality narration. The actors were just okay. The characters were really weak, particularly the villains. They occasionally appear and gone for forever, and then there comes the final battle. Did not sync well between them and the cop, especially what they were fighting for, other than they are. Especially the FBI agent played by Don Cheadle casting was worthless. For a fine theme like this, the plot should have developed with at least a couple of twists and maybe a grand action sequence. It does not matter though, at least engaging plot needed, but failed on that part. Sorry to say that I'm not in favour of it to suggest it to anybody, though you might it better than me. _5/10_