The Guard

could hardly understand as they joked "English" through the movie, too many mumbling and the trailer was more interesting than the movie !

An utterly different approach to fighting crime. These two law enforcement individuals have a formidable bond! This team is one to be reckoned with. The story is terrific. All of the acting is so far above your typical crime story. I found Gleeson to be particularly endearing. Just go ahead and rent it! It’s certainly worth the extra $1!

A very funny look at policing from a foreign perspective

I found this to be a touching heartfelt movie with enough action to keep me interested. Some really good characters can be found here.

This movie addresses many ridiculous stereotypes by confronting them head on. The film shows the complete void of reasonableness in the belief that people can be judged by color, creed or national origin by dispelling what is often believed to be typical. This film hits my top ten films of all time list notwithstanding the film being made with a seriously limited budget. The cast is exceptional beyond the main characters. (i.e. Mark Strong in a supporting role). Irrespective of the inside humor that is easier for the average Irishman to understand, I found the references to be broad enough that the humor stands even if you have limited understanding of Irish culture. There is some strong language and dark humor. If those are things you cannot abide then this film is not for you. If you can look beyond those things, I think you will thoroughly enjoy the wild ride the movie takes you on.

He likes it a lot. He is making me write this. It is a pretty good movie though.

Glad I saw this one. Great job all around. Thanks!

Anti Buddy cop film about a FBI agent in Ireland looking for drug smugglers. Brendon Gleason plays the eccentric Garda Sergeant perfectly; you hate him one moment, and love him the next. Don Cheadle plays the “fish out of water” FBI agent with the perfect amount of nativity and expertise. All around a great film.

Having visited the West a number of times and being a speaker of a dialect of the language, I could not help but adore this film. Stereotypically accurate to the nth deegree, these people do exist complete with their wisdom shrouded by a natural innocence. Being Irish is restricted to being from their particular town. Even speaking another dialect gives them cause to pause and reflect upon a second look at the speaker. I believe the correct word is 'provincial'? The performances are wonderful and both Gleeson (in a marked departure from 'Calvary') and Cheadle are amazing in their rolls. I always love Fionnula in anything she does. Kudos to the entire supporting cast. I cannot recommend this film strongly enough.

This is one smart movie and is is one of those rare films which is perfect on all counts. Ignore the plot summary as it misses the brilliant core of Boyle’s character. The acting and tone are pitch perfect and it takes a few watchings to apprecieate all the nuances and layers of meaning. A perfect film and a work of art. You don’t have to be Irish to appreciate this movie. It’s a portrait of how a brilliant moral man survives and somehow does good in a stupid and/or corrupt system in a land of gray skies and gray moral complexities. He entertains himself by playing against and shattering the expectations of those around him who continually see no more than the surface of what he does. In the end he outwits them all. Brilliant.