94% The Guard

All Critics (51) | Top Critics (18) | Fresh (48) | Rotten (3)

This black comedy needed to be a whole lot blacker and funnier.

Brendan Gleeson, as beefily Irish an actor as anyone since Victor McLaglen, is always believable and frequently hilarious.

When it's over it evaporates, leaving only the acrid smoke of its dialogue and the memory of Gleeson reducing lesser mortals to cinders.

"The Guard" is a pleasure. I can't tell if it's really (bleeping) dumb or really (bleeping) smart, but it's pretty (bleeping) good.

A nifty little Irish summer vacation.

If the movie's mix of nihilistic violence and snarky attitude suggests In Bruges, it's a family resemblance.

Patrolling the dark/light divide so confidently even the IRA nab legitimate laughs, The Guard is a cracker of a film and Sergeant Gerry Boyle a comedy creation for the ages.

... screenplay combines the overall drama of finding the smugglers and stopping them with some very wry humor, mostly from Gleeson, with his irreverence toward any authority.

The film is entertaining, surprising and Gleeson is once again on top of his game. If only director McDonagh had made some room for Cheadle and Mark Strong to shine as well.

Irish noir 'Guard' is one to watch.

McDonagh's pithy dialogue sparkles like pixie dust. And yes, everything sounds better in brogue.

What could have been a clich?d oil-and-water buddy movie in a lesser writer's hands feels organic and genuine.

Gleefully, hilariously profane and proud of it.

McDonagh's Connacht-set cop story would be too clever by half if not for Brendan Gleeson's canny performance.

McDonaugh's reflective script and darker tone separates it from the usual pacing of the standard cop film.

Joins a growing list of darkly witty contemporary Irish gangster movies...Gleeson never seems to run out of ways to surprise an audience.

If you can imagine the whimsicality of "Local Hero" crossed with the dark, British Isle ruralness of the "Red Riding" trilogy if its criminal elements had immigrated from "Fargo," you'll have an idea of McDonagh's deft tonal touch.

This thing is so confident, so very well-constructed, and it goes down smooth from the very first frame to its absolutely perfect final shot.

The range of personalities and fine casting choices helps distract from a less than thrilling central mystery

This movie made me smile and even laugh out loud. In fact, it gave me more pleasure than any aliens, robots or superheroes have all summer. That's because it's doggedly offbeat and completely original...

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Source: http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/the_guard_2011/

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