The Guard
Director: John Michael McDonagh
Writer: John Michael McDonagh
Cast: Brendan Gleeson, Don Cheadle, Liam Cunningham, Mark Strong
Plot:
Gerry Boyle (Brendan Gleeson) is a cop in a small Irish town. He has carved himself his niche, where he can ignore everything he doesn’t want to deal with at his leisure. His cynic routine is only interrupted when he meets with his dying mother or prostitutes. But all of this is threatened when FBI agent Wendell Everett (Don Cheadle) comes to Ireland to investigate an international drug smuggling ring. Reluctantly, Gerry teams up with Wendell. If only to get his peace back.
The Guard is funny, well-written and has an excellent cast and a pretty subversive sense of humor. In the end it’s a mean film, but in a very good way.
I loved Gerry as a character. At best he’s morally ambiguous – and it’s way too rare to get characters like him, especially as the protagonist. I don’t get why: they’re really entertaining. And his mum, played by Fionnula Flanagan, is fantastic, too. [Also, what kind of kick-ass name is Fionnula?]
But Gerry and his mum are not the only awesome characters in this film. The bad guys are frankly amazing. They have discussions about their favorite philosophers, for crying out loud! And both Mark Strong and Liam Cunningham play their guys with gusto. The only character who doesn’t really get as much awesome as the others is Wendell Everett. Though I guess you need one guy who is at least halfway normal. And Don Cheadle is great.
Apart from the characters, John Michael McDonagh also writes really awesome dialogues. I was really impressed with his script. Less with his directing, but that was alright, too.
I really enjoyed myself watching this film. It was just chockfull of entertaining moments.
Summarising: Very much recommended.
kalafudra's Stuff 
I really want to see that movie. :)
And I love your blog, it’s my surrogate for movies.
I feel at once honored – and that you do movies, in general, an injustice by reducing them to my blog. ;)
Movies and reviews are different things, but I really love your reviews. They are a very efficient way for me to get to know a movie. You capture the essence of cultural things (or at least the things that matter to me :P), making me feel like I know something about the movie or play you have seen. I love that, especially because I don’t get to see movies very often.
It’s also an efficiency and opportunity/cost thing:
1h to get to the movies, 1h to get back, 2h to watch the movie, = 4 hours babysitting, plus travel costs, plus movie tickets for two persons –> seeing a movie costs us around 60 Euro and around 4 hours.
Reading your review: 10 minutes, plus 5 minutes of pondering how I would thought exactly the same as you. :)
Those are some damn flattering words right there, thanks! :)
I understand that going to the movies is a luxury, especially when you have little kids. Which is why I’m thinking of not having kids. Or a pet. Or anything that would keep me from hitting the cinema. ;)
@ twitter and Putin googlers:
Did I mention my absolute love for Leo Putin? (“like Siegfried and Roy, only without the drama or the magic”)
You are a genius. Statement of fact.
Is this week national “Flatter kalafudra” week? Nice – we should make that an annual thing. Or maybe a monthly one. :D
It’s been almost a year since I wrote that. Maybe I’ll write a sequel.
Lol, I don’t know, maybe it is national flatter kalafudra week.
Or I just miss you. :)
A sequel would be appreciated.