The Guard

R

Released Jul 29, 2011

1h 35m

Comedy

Mystery & Thriller

List

94%

Tomatometer

139 Reviews

81%

Popcornmeter

25,000+ Ratings

A vulgar Irish cop (Brendan Gleeson) and a straight-laced American FBI agent (Don Cheadle) uncover police corruption among the former's superiors while probing a drug-trafficking ring.

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Critics Consensus

A violent, crackerjack comedy with a strong Irish flavor and an eminently likable Brendan Gleeson in the main role.

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Roger Moore

Tribune News Service

A laugh-out-loud comedy as hard as "The French Connection," a modern spaghetti Western on the windswept wastes of Ireland."

Rated: 4/4

Jan 9, 2013

Full Review

Jim Schembri

The Age (Australia)

The Guard offers an offbeat take on a genre without skimping on the violence or gunplay.

Rated: 3.5/5

Oct 18, 2011

Full Review

Liam Lacey

Globe and Mail

Although The Guard is primarily a language romp, it's also a terrific showcase for veteran pug-faced character actor Brendan Gleeson.

Rated: 3/4

Aug 26, 2011

Full Review

Mark Seneviratne

Vague Visages

There is no analytical framework to guide audiences towards a hollow understanding of raw talent. Gleeson's charisma is built-in, like all legendary performers, and this is most evident when his characters behave despicably.

Mar 26, 2024

Full Review

Brian Eggert

Deep Focus Review

Gleeson has rarely been better or been given such a showcase for his talent.

Rated: 3.5/4

Mar 1, 2023

Full Review

Tom Cassidy

Common Sense Media

Flipping the street cop and well-to-do dynamic of 'Beverly Hills Cop' on its head, Cheadle's uptight Yale graduate is suitably stuffy when plonked in the Irish countryside.

Rated: 3/5

Oct 28, 2021

Full Review

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Victor A

Refreshing, original (!!), special kind of humour, great photography and colours. A sort of more refined Guy Ritchie kind of movie.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

08/17/24

Full Review

Kyle M

Genetically-shared Ireland’s localized chronicles become active through a distinctively tonal, humorously subversive spin of the buddy cop genre, benefitting from the main duo’s ethical clashes to pull off how well-written and -performed this enjoyable case is. (B)

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

08/03/24

Full Review

Joan K

What a quirky, original movie with interesting characters. Fun to watch. I highly recommend it.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

02/25/24

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Leilani Y

Droll sense of humor with very authentic voices of all in plot and characters.plus slight mock art film markers and Cheadle and Gleeson are brilliant

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

02/04/24

Full Review

K B

Smashing, loved it. The end gets a little drawn out, still a great watch!

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

01/21/24

Full Review

Audience Member

so funny and so fun Brendan Gleeson is quite an eccentric Irish policeman who is such a sourpuss and a bit of a pessimist I especially love when he and Don Cheadle are on screen cause the dynamics work I like Mark Strong too but he should have been the bigger villain in the picture as the film goes along you do get to know the policeman and why he's so uptight the scenery is just magnificient and alot of the humor adds punch to the script genuine laughs and WTF moments

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

01/21/24

Full Review

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John Michael McDonagh

Director

Brendan Gleeson

Sergeant Gerry Boyle

Don Cheadle

FBI agent Wendell Everett

Liam Cunningham

Francis Sheehy

David Wilmot

Liam O'Leary

Rory Keenan

Garda Aidan McBride

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Synopsis

A vulgar Irish cop (Brendan Gleeson) and a straight-laced American FBI agent (Don Cheadle) uncover police corruption among the former's superiors while probing a drug-trafficking ring.

Director: John Michael McDonagh
Producer: Chris Clark, Flora Fernandez-Marengo, Ed Guiney, Andrew Lowe
Screenwriter: John Michael McDonagh
Distributor: Sony Pictures Classics
Production Co: Reprisal Films, UK Film Council, Element Films
Rating: R (Pervasive Language|Drug Material|Sexual Content|Some Violence)
Genre: Comedy, Mystery & Thriller
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Jul 29, 2011, Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Feb 25, 2014
Box Office (Gross USA): $5.4M
Runtime: 1h 35m
Sound Mix: Dolby Digital

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