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The Guard

The Guard

Action · Comedy · Thriller · 2011

When a small-town Irish cop with a crass personality is partnered with a straight-laced FBI agent to bust an international drug-trafficking ring, they must settle their differences in order to take down a dangerous gang.

Movie details

The Guard

“The FBI are about to discover that things work a little differently around here.”

2011 Action · Comedy · Thriller 1h 36m

Critical arithmetic

One number, for now.

TMDB

7.0 / 10

Community rating

When a small-town Irish cop with a crass personality is partnered with a straight-laced FBI agent to bust an international drug-trafficking ring, they must settle their differences in order to take down a dangerous gang.

CriticWise case file

What this film says about your taste.

Not a recommendation score. A measure of how closely the film’s taste signals resemble yours.

The archetype split

Who fights over The Guard?

The split comes from the same five-axis model used by the test, not audience ratings or review sentiment.

Taste neighbourhood

Nearby on the taste map.

TMDB supplies the candidates. CriticWise reorders them by craft, strangeness, prestige, emotion, and pace.

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Names above the title

The people responsible.

Directed by

John Michael McDonagh

Written by

John Michael McDonagh

Brendan Gleeson

Brendan Gleeson

Sergeant Gerry Boyle

Don Cheadle

Don Cheadle

FBI agent Wendell Everett

Liam Cunningham

Liam Cunningham

Francis Sheehy

Mark Strong

Mark Strong

Clive Cornell

Katarina Čas

Katarina Čas

Gabriela McBride

David Wilmot

David Wilmot

Liam O'Leary

Rory Keenan

Rory Keenan

Garda Aidan McBride

Court is in session

Put The Guard on trial.

Two incompatible taste archetypes. One film. Read the arguments, then issue a completely binding cultural ruling.

The defence The Adrenaline Seeker

“Momentum is a formal choice.”

The velocity sharpens instinct and tension, making every beat land before self-importance can settle in.

The prosecution The Auteur Devotee

“Speed as an alibi.”

The film races past its weak spots and hopes acceleration will keep the audience from inspecting the evidence.