Its a buddy cop comedy thriller starring Brendan Gleeson and Don Cheadle.
The buddy cop partnership has become such a familiar movie staple that its now a common subject of parody.
See Adam McKays flawed yet funnyThe Other Guys, and Kevin Smiths flawed and less funnyCop Out.
As premises go,The Guards is as wilfully generic as they come.
In his debut big-screen feature, McDonagh shows an effortless ability to introduce characters in unusual, memorable ways.
Its hard to imagine anyone other than Gleeson playing Sergeant Boyle, in fact.
Its Gleesons performance that injects the perfect amount of humanity and pathos into an often despicable character.
The Guardis an assured, promising debut feature from John Michael McDonagh.
Rating:
4 out of 5
