Imdb Ranking 7.3
American FBI agent Wendell Everett (Don Cheadle) is sent over ti Ireland to investigate an International drug-smuggling ring and is teamed up with Irish police Sergeant Gerry Boyle (Brendan Gleeson). To put it mildly, Gerry is something of a character.
Wendell comes over and talks to the force about the ship with a half a billion dollars worth of cocaine they are looking for. Gerry keeps interrupting the talk with wise remarks. Later Gerry and Wendell get teamed up together and they are really, really funny together.
Wendell is a serious man and a hard worker. Gerry never seems to be serious and it seems like he hardly works.
A young police officer, Aidan mcBride, gets killed and the drug dealers are spotted in the area. When Gerry finds an IRA stash of guns, he returns most of them to an IRA man in an orange Volkswagen.
It seems drug operation has moved down to Cork, and Wendell is following it. Wendell and Gerry meet at a bar and say goodbye. You can see that they have come to like each other. When one of the dealers, O'Leary (David Wilmot) comes to deal with Gerry he shoots him after a very funny conversation and them informs Wendell that Cork was just a decoy.
Gerry gets dressed up in his Guard uniform and takes the IRA guns (their derringer has already saved him from O'Leary). Why Gerry is doing this is hard to tell. He is a man that definitely goes to his own drummer. Just when Gerry is about to go in himself, Wendell shows up. Wendell says that he has called for back-up and they should wait. Gerry sasy no one is going to come, "It's just you and me." Everyone else is on the take.
Then we find out what is driving Gerry. "I'm going down there and arrest those lads for the murders of James McCormick and Aidan McBride. And on the lesser charges of smuggling cocaine." Gerry says to Wendell: "Now I know what you're thinking. 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..." Wendell reluctantly agrees to help.
It's like High Noon and Gerry walks down the dock. The shooting starts and Wendell provides cover fire on one of the IRA guns. Between them they take the drug dealers out, and the boat blows up. Wendell thinks Gerry has died, but maybe Gerry made it back to shore and just didn't tell anyone.
A really good movie, with good writing, directing and with two very good actors playing off of each other.
2012 Irish Film and Television Awards
BEST FILM - The Guard
DIRECTOR FILM
John Michael McDonagh - The Guard
SCRIPT FILM
John Michael McDonagh - The Guard
SUPPORTING ACTRESS - FILM
Fionnula Flanagan - The Guard
