The Guard (Irish film with Brendan Gleeson and Don Cheadle)

Trotter · 27-07-2011 12:58am

I saw it this evening and I loved it! There were plenty of laughs from the others in the cinema and I loved the ending.

Some things were put into the film for a reason.. his swimming ability, 'Leavin on a jetplane', the flashback to where he wondered whether Boyle was mad or a genius etc. I like to think he was a flawed genius who was a great swimmer, and who is now on a beach in Florida, visiting Goofy regularly.

omaexlibris · 27-07-2011 2:23am

I just saw The Guard a couple of hours ago. Like many say, there were a few pointless throw away subplots that were used as filler. I thought Gleeson was very good, acting spot on as a jaded Irish Garda who is thoroughly fed up with incompetent colleagues. Don Cheadle managed some great acting with his incredulous looks at the Gardai, wondering were they taking the mickey or were they really that thick. Overall, a good bit of whimsical comedy, a bit of action, there was no heavy handed pointless romance, and a cracking soundtrack by Calexico. Of course, and I am being totally unbiased here, the scenery and shots of Galway also enhanced this film. Not the best film ever, but hardly a complete load of cobblers. Well worth going to see.

dougs09 · 31-07-2011 12:21pm

o1s1n wrote: »

You judge a film by the amount of quotes you can get out of it? Er..right then. I judge a film on whether or not it was a good film.

This is a good film.
I really liked the ambiguous ending. But then again, I tend to enjoy ambiguous endings in films. I'd rather an ending made me think than hand me everything summed up on a platter!

when it comes to a comedy, like this, its main purpose is to make you laugh right? well ok, so, when i leave a "comedy" and i put comedy in inverted commas because this film imo is sittting on the fence in terms of what i'd call a good comedy, and what i'd say is a very over rated movie which is meant to be comedy, when i left it, i failed to relive any of the funny moments which made me laugh, if there were any, so, thats how i judge comedys, obviously i can appreciate movies other then there quotes like i said, same way that i do respect that gleeson did play the role of seargent boyle as good as he could of done, just the overalll humour of the movie didnt get me laughing very much, few moments like

mark strong meeting the bent coppers

and one or two other moments, but thats it.

you have your opinion and i have mine, and i didnt enjoy this at all, but i respect peoples opinion that this was good, i just didnt enjoy it and its no where near the other irish comedies of the past like commitments, intermission etc

bnt · 04-08-2011 11:08am

It opened in the USA last weekend, and the reviews look pretty good. Ebert said "I can't tell if it's really (bleeping) dumb or really (bleeping) smart, but it's pretty (bleeping) good."

Mickeroo · 04-08-2011 11:29am

bnt wrote: »

It opened in the USA last weekend, and the reviews look pretty good. Ebert said "I can't tell if it's really (bleeping) dumb or really (bleeping) smart, but it's pretty (bleeping) good."

Yea the critical response over there was great, it's a shame it got such a tiny release though, a bit of a marketing push and I'm convinced it could be a hit stateside.

CtrlSource · 07-08-2011 1:08am

Roar wrote: »

...but a lot of things annoyed me with it, like Gleeson's "whesht" of Ireland accent (he's the only character in the entire feckin movie with that whesht BS), Don Cheadle having the charisma of a dead hedgehog in a cardboard box and a dozen other things I'd list only I'd rather not waste any more time with this movie tbh.

Having the charisma of a dead hedgehog in a cardboard box...

Great line!

Saw The Guard tonight. Was quite disappointed, having heard good reports about it. There were a fair few laughs but overall it was fairly meh - as others have said. Loved Gleeson (as usual) but his accent was a bit all over the place.

duckworth · 07-08-2011 6:03pm

Saw this a few weeks ago and didn't like it at all. There were a few laughs, but on the whole it was poorly executed. The amount of meaningless unfinished side plots was awful - some really bad writing.

On the ending:

Can somebody explain to me what Brendan Gleeson's motivation for swimming away and therefore faking his death might be?? I can understand a 'did he or didn't he' part in a movie about somebody on the run. But Gleeson's character had no reason to run away. The whole part just seemed shoved in for no reason..

Amazotheamazing · 07-08-2011 11:00pm

duckworth wrote: »

Saw this a few weeks ago and didn't like it at all. There were a few laughs, but on the whole it was poorly executed. The amount of meaningless unfinished side plots was awful - some really bad writing.

On the ending:
Can somebody explain to me what Brendan Gleeson's motivation for swimming away and therefore faking his death might be?? I can understand a 'did he or didn't he' part in a movie about somebody on the run. But Gleeson's character had no reason to run away. The whole part just seemed shoved in for no reason..

He would have been killed by the rest of the drug dealers had he lived, he said as much. Once he went after the guys he had to disappear.

12-09-2011 9:36pm

Decided to give this a second watch after listening to people spend the past few months tell me it was a great film. First time I saw it was at a preview screening months back and upon initial viewing I found it to be a cliched, badly written and poorly made film which felt like something from the mid 90s. After a second viewing my opinion shan't changed.

Strong, Cunningham and Cheadle are all fine but struggle with the material they have. The dialogue between the drug dealers is ridiculous and feels like someone attempting to out Tarantino, Tarantino. The plot never really went anywhere and had more holes than you could keep track of. The film also looks very cheap and has all the flair of a TV soap opera which considering it's budget is surprising.

People seem to think that just because a film is Irish that we should cut it some slack and to criticise it is just Irish begrudgery. But if people are willing to let mediocre crap like Perrier's Bounty and The Guard off the hook simply because it's Irish then cinema over here is never going to improve.

krudler · 12-09-2011 10:10pm

Deleted User wrote: »

Decided to give this a second watch after listening to people spend the past few months tell me it was a great film. First time I saw it was at a preview screening months back and upon initial viewing I found it to be a cliched, badly written and poorly made film which felt like something from the mid 90s. After a second viewing my opinion shan't changed.

Strong, Cunningham and Cheadle are all fine but struggle with the material they have. The dialogue between the drug dealers is ridiculous and feels like someone attempting to out Tarantino, Tarantino. The plot never really went anywhere and had more holes than you could keep track of. The film also looks very cheap and has all the flair of a TV soap opera which considering it's budget is surprising.

People seem to think that just because a film is Irish that we should cut it some slack and to criticise it is just Irish begrudgery. But if people are willing to let mediocre crap like Perrier's Bounty and The Guard off the hook simply because it's Irish then cinema over here is never going to improve.

The amount of people I've heard say "its brilliant...for an Irish film" is unreal, what does it being Irish have to do with its quality? Its like we're preprogrammed to think something is rubbish because its from here, or not expect much from it and are amazed when it makes an audience chuckle. I thought it was ok, its got some funny moments and a few great one liners,not a terrible film, but its nothing amazing.

12-09-2011 10:20pm

krudler wrote: »

The amount of people I've heard say "its brilliant...for an Irish film" is unreal, what does it being Irish have to do with its quality? Its like we're preprogrammed to think something is rubbish because its from here, or not expect much from it and are amazed when it makes an audience chuckle. I thought it was ok, its got some funny moments and a few great one liners,not a terrible film, but its nothing amazing.

I got the old favourite, "sure he's just another begrudger." Personally I don't care where a film is made or who is involved as long as it entertains me and keeps me interested for it's duration. Much like Perrier's Bounty, another terrible Irish film people seem to think that we have to like these films and should forgive any shortcomings. As bad as Perrier's Bounty was at least it looked half way decent whereas the Guard looked like some made for TV film shot way back in the 90s. I'm assuming the 6 million budget went on getting the cast as it certainly didn't go on screen.

Compare The Guard to a film such as Shifty, an English film which was made for 100,000 pound yet looks vastly more cinematic that the Guard. In fact every aspect of Shifty is superior to the Guard and is the kind of low budget film that Irish film makers should aspire to not unoriginal muck like the Guard.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DT75k8sUXaQ

krudler · 12-09-2011 10:26pm

Thats one thing I'll say against Irish films, barely any of them look cinematic, its all tv production and angles and shot structure, no chances taken. Irish cinema needs more visual directors not point and shoot stuff. Too much "don't break this rule, you can't put a camera there" orders from the (measly) experience I've had anyway. I really should watch more Irish films and shorts I guess.

12-09-2011 10:32pm

krudler wrote: »

Thats one thing I'll say against Irish films, barely any of them look cinematic, its all tv production and angles and shot structure, no chances taken. Irish cinema needs more visual directors not point and shoot stuff. Too much "don't break this rule, you can't put a camera there" orders from the (measly) experience I've had anyway. I really should watch more Irish films and shorts I guess.

Any time we get an interesting Irish director they usually bugger off to Hollywood or in most cases they start their careers over there. Say what you will about John Moore but the man knows to how to make a film look great. There's a very interesting Irish film maker called Glenn McQuaid. He made the fantastic I Sell the Dead which look great and while it was made on a tiny budget you'd never guess from the production values.

seanybiker · 12-09-2011 10:37pm

I loved it. Had a couple laugh out loud parts imho.

Dempsey · 13-09-2011 10:50pm

Saw this the other night. I thought it was good, not a classic or anything. I think it was very 'raw' and rushed in places and they could have easily made it better with a bit of effort.

chin_grin · 23-09-2011 10:46pm

"Killin' little protestants...........that's funny."

Pity none of the film is.

It's a f*ckin' mess. The reason it f*ckin' is, is probably because it relies heavily on f*ckin' stereotypes and replacing every second word with "f*ckin'".

Yawn-fest of an ordeal with boring characters and a story written by a ten year old.

Terrible.

Oh throw in his sick mother to help the audience follow the story? What story? Any excuse to throw in another stupid forced colloquialism.

OH: "This is American fodder." She absolutely right.

Tomk1 · 23-09-2011 11:55pm

Really enjoyed it, that opening scene is a classic.
Hope they can do a sequel, set in America.

pamweld · 28-11-2011 12:21pm

Just wondering if anyone knows where the holiday homes in The Guard are located? Think they look like the ones in Fanore in Clare but not sure. Also where is the Garda station located?

chin_grin · 28-11-2011 12:25pm

Terrible film aside. Found this.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Guard_(2011_film)#Production

Principal filming began on October 29, 2009, in Leitir Móir (Lettermore) Co. Galway. Filming took place over a six-week period in Connemara, Leitir Móir, Leitir Mealláin (Lettermullen), An Spidéal (Spiddal) and Bearna with some scenes for filming in Wicklow and Dublin.[2] Involved companies are Reprisal Films and Element Pictures in association with Prescience, Aegis Film Fund, UK Film Council, and Crescendo Productions, with the participation of An Bord Scannán na hÉireann (Irish Film Board).[2]
International sales were handled by Metropolis Films and the film was released by Element Pictures Distribution in Ireland,[2][5][6] Optimum Releasing in the United Kingdom and Sony Pictures Classics in North America.

pamweld · 28-11-2011 1:35pm

chin_grin wrote: »

Terrible film aside. Found this.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Guard_(2011_film)#Production

Thanks Chin_grin, ah did ye not like the film, I love the dry humour in it! gets better when ye watch it a second time

chin_grin · 28-11-2011 1:41pm

pamweld wrote: »

Thanks Chin_grin, ah did ye not like the film, I love the dry humour in it! gets better when ye watch it a second time

Nah. Didn't really do anything for me. The humour was too crass and seemed forced. Didn't laugh once.

hidinginthebush · 28-11-2011 3:09pm

chin_grin wrote: »

Nah. Didn't really do anything for me. The humour was too crass and seemed forced. Didn't laugh once.

Definitely, the film was terribly over-hyped, and had a lot of plot lines that were irrelevant or didn't go anywhere. I was very disappointed by it.

eyescreamcone · 28-11-2011 3:10pm

Thought it was a good show

I am pie · 28-11-2011 3:19pm

Yeah, very colloquial. Didn't enjoy it much.

Mindkiller · 28-11-2011 4:04pm

I haven't watched it yet, but it seems non-Irish people liked it a whole lot better than we did.

duiggers · 28-11-2011 4:14pm

I thought it was pretty funny but not as good as In Brugges

crash davis · 29-11-2011 1:41am

I thought it was a great flick, due in no small part to Brendan Gleeson and the fact that it's one of the first Irish flicks that deals with the rural parts of the country in modern times, where the humour and speech patterns are entirely different to that of the big smoke. Think about it... how many Irish flicks set in modern times have a lead who inhabits an area beyond the pale?

And that's why the whole spaghetti western slant was so appealing to me. Great exercise in creative filmmaking which would have been nothing without Gleeson.

Mindkiller · 16-12-2011 4:16pm

Watched it. I'm with Chin Grin. The humour is laughably broad, and not in a funny 'ha ha' kind of way. It's like it tries to be a satire on the average cop flick but doesn't quite carry through. It also tried to emulate Fr. Ted's surrealist sense of humour, but falls flat. I can see how it might appeal to non-Irish in a 'Gee, aren't they quaint and eccentric?' sort of way.

Crap.

paddyismaddy · 16-12-2011 4:59pm

duiggers wrote: »

I thought it was pretty funny but not as good as In Brugges

i agree i found this way overrated

Cartman78 · 17-12-2011 9:35pm

For some odd reason this film is being marketed as the "funniest comedy of the year"/"laugh out loud comedy" etc so can understand why some people are disappointed.

I avoided it in the cinema, assuming it was another Oirish-jiggery-pokery effort but after hearing huge praise for it on several US podcasts I decided to give it a go on DVD recently and enjoyed it quite a lot. Not as much as some American reviewers but a lot more than some people here.

To me, it's a dark comedy/quirky character study. If you approach it expecting to laugh your ass for 90 mins then you are going to be sorely disappointed

The Guard (Irish film with Brendan Gleeson and Don Cheadle)

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