HOME
MOVIES
TV Shows
In Theatres
SEARCH
FRESH
QUEUE
The Guard
2011
MOVIE IS
cynical
entertaining
woebegone
satisfyingly
frivolous
Close Video
watch now
Reviews
similar movies
cast & crew
Awards
tags
81 %
95 %
Certified Fresh
$ 19 Million
Award Winner
See Where to Watch
The Guard
Positive Reviews
71
Negative reviews
2
Average Rating
3.8
/5
cynical
entertaining
woebegone
satisfyingly
frivolous
All
Positive
Negative
3.5
Though Cheadle is good as a man pushed to his breaking point at every moment, the movie belongs to Gleeson, who keeps his character enigmatic even whi ..
Av Club
3.5
But McDonagh inhabits the genre more than he turns it inside out, concluding with a trite climactic shootout, an overly familiar cliche that no single ..
Indie Wire
3.5
But what a study it is.Gleeson is triumphant in this portrait of a complex man who is concurrently sensitive, boorish, brilliant, singular, and unforg ..
Austin Chronicle
3.0
The result is a hugely entertaining but frustratingly disorganised film, packed with priceless moments which never quite coalesce into a rewarding who ..
Time Out
4.4
The framing and cinematography here are unobtrusive but efficient.The drama builds remorselessly.
Rogerebert
4.5
This might make it a little less profound, but it makes for a really grand time at the cinema.
JoBlo
3.8
The Guard is guilty of being overly cute, but it brims with talent and a freshness that extends beyond the clever script.
The Globe And Mail
4.4
Gleeson is nothing short of magnificent.Boyles unexpected sidekick in The Guard isnt that eager garda.
Philly
3.5
Brendan Gleeson is perfectly cast as the foul mouthed and cantankerous Boyle who finds a strange ally in the American FBI agent.
Spirituality And Practice
5.0
A laugh out loud comedy as hard as The French Connection, a modern spaghetti Western on the windswept wastes of Ireland.
Rogers Movie Nation
3.5
What keeps things poignant is the sharp observations of small town life and what keeps things lively is the snappy banter between the culturally oppos ..
Sover
4.4
Maybe its because a generation has gone by, but now there appears to be a resurgence of these types of films, mostly from the UK and Australia.
Combust Ible Celluloid
4.0
Spewing bellicose cynicism and erupting with outlandish political incorrectness, Gleeson makes the movie worthwhile and fun, in spite of its occasiona ..
Chicago Reader
4.0
That said, its only fair to point out that the film meanders in the middle section and probably works better as a character study than it does as eith ..
View London
4.5
A final unexpected turn adds another layer of mischief to this irreverent Irish romp.
Film Journal
4.5
The Guard is not the most original buddy cop movie youll see, but it well may be one of the most entertaining.
Az Central
4.0
Boyle is probably the first screen hero in a long time whose heroism comes out of boredom and ennui. He gives nihilism a good name.
Smh
4.5
Oh, yes, The Guard has the promised elementsthough the action isnt very over the topbut it has an inner depth that isnt normally found in films of its ..
Mountain X
4.5
But the movies very first word is the adjectival form of the greatest of all Anglo Saxon profanities.
Npr
4.2
Largely, the film serves as a bravura showcase for the great Brendan Gleeson.
Emanuellevy
3.5
Great fun when taken in the right spirit, which would be Old Paddy with a Guinness chaser.
Guardian
3.0
The direction is disappointingly clumsy in its climactic action sequence.
Daily Mail
3.5
type Movie Current Status In Season mpaa R runtime 96 minutes Limited Release Date 07/29/11 performer Don Cheadle, Brendan Gleeson director John Micha ..
Ew
5.0
Among the most purely entertaining films of the year, which cuts its laughter with a dose of Celtic melancholy.
Empire
4.0
Even the tired old cliches of criminals get a barbed makeover, as the drug runners here lament the lack of job satisfaction in what they do and spend ..
Eye For Film
3.5
One caution: if you have trouble comprehending the Irish brogue, you may miss much of the dialogue.
Susang Ranger
3.8
McDonaghs direction is smooth, but its his writing that carries the day, treating genre elements with both seriousness and subversive humor, all while ..
Slant Magazine
4.0
The plotting doesnt keep you guessing, its the characters, with McDonagh crafting colourful eccentrics out of the smallest supporting roles.
Express
3.5
Its not as problematic as it sounds, but its worth noting, especially because The Guard manages to be amusing even when youre not totally sure whats g ..
Bullz-Eye
3.2
McDonaghs screenplay combines the overall drama of finding the smugglers and stopping them with some very wry humor, mostly from Gleeson, with his irr ..
Reeling Reviews
3.8
McDonaghs screenplay combines the overall drama of finding the smugglers and stopping them with some very wry humor, mostly from Gleeson, with his irr ..
Reeling Reviews
4.0
Get 50% off this NOW TV Smart Box with 4K HDR *and* 3 entertainment passes in the Black Friday sale Deals This NOW TV Smart Box is jam packed with the ..
Total Film
4.0
But this cinematic equivalent of a shot of fine single malt will go down well with specialized audiences looking for something bracing.
Hollywood Reporter
3.5
The Guard is a wry piece of postmodern cinema that clearly lays out its parameters and stays within them.
Coles Mithey
3.5
A key action sequence is remarkable not only for its visual coherence, but for the beauty of the pier on which its staged.
Variety
3.8
McDonaghs screenplay is clever enough, in the dry wit department and in its connect these dots crime scenery, and McDonagh the director makes good use ..
Groucho Reviews
4.5
Benedict Cumberbatch Wants You To Know He *Is* The Motherf*cking Grinch The Grinch star takes Mike Ryan through the final scenes of Avengers: Infinity ..
Hit Fix
4.0
First time writer director John Michael McDonagh cleverly steals from several tired old genres (including, but not limited to, the buddy comedy, the a ..
Herald Sun
3.1
The movies love a good fish out of water story.The Guard tries to double that pleasure.
Nj
3.8
Steal a little from In the Heat of the Night and you have yourself a movie.
Movie Habit
4.5
Its the cumulative dry humour with black overtones and appealing odd couple pairing of Gleeson and Don Cheadle that make this offbeat Irish comedy hig ..
Urban Cine File
3.8
But McDonagh is your man when it comes to cruelly funny dialogue, and Gleeson makes it sing and sting.
New York Post
3.8
*** (out of four) Look up Taking the piss in an urban dictionary and youll probably see a picture of Sergeant Boyle (Brendan Gleeson), a cop whos neit ..
Red Eye Chicago
3.8
The odd couple aspect doesnt entirely click Cheadle is sort of a fish out of water as a fish out of water but Gleeson and writer director John Michael ..
Larsen On Film
4.0
Its one of the summers hidden treasures that should be sought out for its consistently knife like wit.
Hollywood And Fine
4.0
An Irish black comedy with thrills to go along with its un PC laughs, The Guard features a cracking turn from Brendan Gleeson and a witty script from ..
Matts Movie Reviews
3.2
More entertaining than riotous, the dark comedy The Guard is best valued as a vehicle for actor Brendan Gleeson, the vastly talented performer whos en ..
Brian Or Ndorf
3.5
The Guard is the sort of movie that makes you smile and squirm, often within the confines of the same scene. Its certainly engaging, though many times ..
The Filmy Ap
4.2
Gleeson deserves rapturous acclaim for his performance but just as worthy is the films writer director John Michael McDonagh.
The Film Pie
4.3
A truly great romantic comedy should be heartfelt, funny, insightful and grounded in reality.
Nyc Movie Guru
3.1
It takes a special skill to make this sort of complex schematic coherent, and, the attractive performances aside, it doesnt always work here.
Js Online
4.0
The lovable but irascible actor delivers one of the most enjoyable performances of the year and hes amply assisted by the great Don Cheadle and a clev ..
Hollywood Chicago
3.8
The film has a rather strange tone thats actually fairly endearing but it also allows it to defy genre characterization.Its a character drama first an ..
ComingSoon
4.0
Assured and well written, it may totter uncertainly in the third act but its a pleasure to listen to a script with such an ear for shocking insult and ..
Sky
4.0
This all consuming sense of time and place is one of the many joys of The Guard, a superbly made buddy cop crowd pleaser that exudes an effortless dar ..
Sbs
3.8
Rather, for all of its seeming conventions, this surprisingly plot heavy character drama is a wonderfully unconventional cops and robbers picture, an ..
No La
4.0
A confident debut by writer/director John Michael McDonagh, The Guard can sometimes be a touch too clever for its own good a such as when the villains ..
Metro
4.0
Still, that movie was primarily a drama, and this one is absolutely a comedy.
Streaming Quickflix
3.5
Nice guy Wendell cant get started.He gets stuck interviewing Gaelic speaking locals and repeatedly fails to crack open Gerrys mock dour exterior its m ..
East Bay Express
3.0
Writers dont repeat those hoary words.Fortunately McDonagh is beautifully served by his stellar cast, even when theyre babbling the banal word endless ..
Tony Mack
4.0
As with most comedies it can be hit and miss at times, but in general it hits far more often than it misses.
Fan The Fire Magazine
4.0
And there still museums with pay what you wish admission, if not every day, then on certain days weekly or monthly.You just have to know who offers wh ..
New York Time Out
3.5
It felt raw for no good reason.The blue tint is a good affect for added gloom, then again that could just be how Western Ireland looks.
The Scorecard Review
5.0
The article requested cannot be found!.Please refresh your browser or go back.
Ny Press
3.5
It is quite an achievement, then, that writer director John Michael McDonagh manages to calculatingly frustrate and engage viewers simultaneously thro ..
Critics Notebook
4.0
Spiteful, ironic and human in turn, The Guard is an entertainment that makes most of the years American comedies look impoverished, and in Gleeson it ..
Google
4.2
The film has visual and verbal flair, spry energy and deep wit. In a year of not so funny films and dull crime stories, keep an eye out for The Guard.
Blog Oregonlive
3.5
While the film treads close to caricature at times, with standard issue country cop vs. city cop conflicts, and a trio of self consciously quirky badd ..
D Cist
3.5
Chicago Entertainment Metromix Picks Chicagos 2018 Haunted Houses Guide Get some nightmare fuel at these haunted attractions Chicagos 2018 Bib Gourman ..
New York Metro Mix
1.9
Humor my (mad) eye.McDonaghs script is an embarrassment; laughable, yes, but in all the wrong ways.
La Movie Boeuf Wordpress
2.0
Accordingly, The Future is a must see for addicts of the quirky.If you love being in love, and dont mind the woebegone aftermath, this little indie wi ..
Culture Catch
5.0
Much like its protagonist, the film appears to enjoy taking the piss out of its audience, giving them a cynical yet cheeky neo noir that tweaks the us ..
Indy Week
4.4
At that point, The Guard makes a mostly seamless transition from offbeat comedy to earnest thriller, though McDonaghs subversive prose is clearly bett ..
7X7
See Where to Watch
The Guard