The Guard starts with local Irish police sergeant (or “Garda” so as to fit the title) Gerry Boyle (Brendan Gleeson) going through his normal routine: investigating crime, making idol chit chat with the citizens who respect him, and pilfering drug evidence for himself. You know, the usual stuff. Suddenly, things heat up when a string of murders lead to an international drug smuggling ring. Thus enters FBI agent Everett (Don Cheadle), who is forced to work with Boyle as it becomes evidently clear that, despite his unorthodox nature, Boyle is still the best man on the force. Cursing, shooting, prostitution, and hilarity ensue.

Gerry Boyle is the toughest kind of character to write. He’s an insensitive, judgmental, racist, sexist, druggie of a cop who somehow manages to end up being a sympathetic guy and an intelligent cop. There are so many ways that could fail, but writer/director John Michael McDonagh crafts the character in the best way possible, where the insensitivity comes out of sheer misunderstanding and isolation from the world outside of his Irish village and his intentions are always pure at heart. Much of the charm that seals the deal is due to the effortless work of Brendan Gleeson. Gleeson is an actor who has perfected the role of the likeably offensive Irish miscreant, as seen in Gangs of New York, In Bruges, and the Harry Potter films, and here he continues his streak. The way he tosses off rude phrases without much care and in the most nonchalant ways possible results in some pretty damn hilarious dialogue, and the way he carries himself during the more cop centric moments makes his reputation in film so believable.

Aside from Gleeson, the shining member of the cast is obviously Don Cheadle. Cheadle is mostly known for his serious roles, which is a shame given his hilarious work in stuff like Boogie Nights and the Funny or Die web videos (particularly the one that features the best interpretation of Captain Planet ever). Here, he acts as the perfect straight man and audience surrogate. His inability to get through to the citizens of this small Irish town and his attempts to acclimate with Gleeson’s unorthodox methods are the best parts of the film, with Gleeson and Cheadle having a perfect back and forth comic chemistry. Special mention should also go to Mark Strong as the villain of the film (I know, shocking right?), who has some hilarious moments of getting frustrated over the incompetence of his underlings and Fionnula Flanagan as Gleeson’s mother, whose insensitivity and charm serves as a clear indictor for how Gleeson’s character came to be.

John Michael McDonagh’s script here is mostly well constructed. He builds up the characters well and the way he develops the character’s understanding of the drug smuggling ring is engaging to watch, even if we as an audience already know what the outcome will be. The shortcomings of the film do come from the script though. The pre-Cheadle first twenty minutes of the film feel too strange, falling victim to the “Putting a Hat on a Hat” syndrome (i.e. putting too many strange elements in one place to the point where the potential hilarity is cancelled out by the oddness of it). Plus, the film ends up leaving several subplots unresolved, such as a twist involving a few people who are in on the drug smuggling ring. As a director, McDonagh does an impressive job of giving the low-key atmosphere of this Irish village a surprisingly grandiose feel, with a surprisingly fitting score by Latin influence acoustic guitar band Calexico and a climactic action scene that’s equal parts grounded in reality and exciting.

The Guard is one of those rare small independent films that are bound to entertain a large range of audiences; it’s offensive without ever being ugly and raunchy without ever going too blue. Gleeson and Cheadle give the film a witty back and forth that takes the old tired buddy cop comedy formula into needed revival of sorts. If that genre is going to keep rearing it’s head in, we need more stuff like this, not the Katherine Heigel “comedy” vehicles or Cop Out.

On the Disc:

We’ve got the usual batch of bonus features here. Audio commentary, deleted/extended/alternate scenes, outtakes, a Q&A with Cheadle, Gleeson and director McDonagh and a behind the scenes featurette are all here, along with a short by McDonagh that served as the basis for The Guard.

-Thomas Mariani