The Guard

Dark comedy from Ireland about a vulgar Irish cop and an uptight FBI agent who form an unlikely pair while investigating a drug-smuggling ring. Predictably the humor comes from the interactions of the mismatched combo. Actor Brendan Gleeson is probably best known as Alastor “Mad Eye” Moody, the one eyed wizard in the Harry Potter films. Here he gets a rare opportunity to be the star as an unorthodox policeman. It’s nice to see Gleeson get a chance to shine in his own film . Sergeant Gerry Boyle is sort of an Archie Bunker for the new millennium. “I’m Irish. Racism is part of my culture,” he offers. Don Cheadle is an investigator named Everett who is the straight man to Gleeson’s unpolitically correct character. A lot of the amusement is based on the culture clash between a strait-laced black American detective and an irreverent white Irish policeman. The set up is so obvious that the quips need to be creative. But the jokes don’t really go far enough. “You’re thinking, these men are armed and dangerous, and you being an FBI agent you’re more used to shooting at unarmed women and children” – a typical insult.  If put downs like that are your idea of the ultimate dis then you might find this entertaining. I found the one-liners to be mildly acerbic, but not especially funny.