The look into the Irish culture is interesting. The story, as a "this could actually happen" kind of story, is interesting. The humor is also interesting, though it seems to have tried to be funny more than it actually turned out to be. But, nevertheless, it's funny enough.It's not very fun, though. That is on purpose, so, it's OK, but, don't expect to be entertained much. I guess the biggest problem is that it doesn't make much sense in the end. So, our protagonist goes into a suicide mission and, presumably, survives. For what? It seems out of character... Because he liked the pretty little blond Croatian woman? Which is played by a Slovenian actress and it actually shows, if you're from the right part of the world, somebody could have just changed her origin. Also, what's his end-game? As a loner with no friends or family left and no way to contact the blonde or access to any significant money, what's he gonna do?So, yeah, it could have had a better ending to wrap things up nicely, but, still, it's OK as-is, it's worth a watch.

This is an offbeat and quirky film but I found it strangely engaging. Gleeson's Boyle is not exactly an anti-hero, but his offensive and confrontational personality only narrowly outweigh his basic honesty and devotion to duty. The script is highly intelligent (drug dealers trading quotes from Neitzsche?) with heavy doses of very dry wit. The odd couple pairing of Boyle with Don Cheadle's FBI agent Wendell Everett is very entertaining. The whole tone of the movie keeps throwing you slightly off kilter, but never enough to be offputting. I would maintain, despite what some viewers have said here, that the Irish accents are indeed difficult; I had to use my closed captioning. My only other criticism is that the movie's aspiration to be a dark comedy is undercut by Boyle's death at the end.

Let me begin by saying if you are easily offended - this movie is not for you. Secondly, the first 20 minutes are a little painful as they setup Boyle's character. The movie is great and comes together really well by the end. If you're having a night in, pour yourself a tall glass of milk and grab a few brownies. This wont disappoint and its nice to see the likable, non- Hollywood (bulging arms, 6-pack, model face) protagonist ... no spoilers here :)The most common way people give up their power is by thinking they don't have any. –Alice Walker

THE GUARD is an entirely predictable story of an ordinary policeman who gets involved with a major international drug smuggling ring, with guessable consequences. Despite the familiarity of the storyline - which gets more and more conventional as the running time goes on - this is a film which has some good stuff to recommend it, not least a sometimes witty script and a great sense of place.The film is set on the northwest coast of Ireland, particularly Galway and Connemara, and it's certainly a beautiful and underutilised backdrop (I should know - I'm lucky enough to have been there!). Despite chunks of lowbrow humour and an overwhelming number of expletives, there's some intellectual humour in the script here and there, like Mark Strong's criminal character who has something of a philosophical bent. Such elements make it workable, if slightly unwieldy.It also helps that the cast is pretty great. Brendan Gleeson has long been good enough to play a leading man, but it's only recently that he's been getting the roles. Don Cheadle banishes memories of his Cockney hijinks in OCEAN'S ELEVEN with a familiar fish-out-of-water role, but one which he acquits himself well with. The likes of Mark Strong and Liam Cunningham are old-handers at this sort of material, and make their scenes really sparkle. THE GUARD might tell a hackneyed story, but it has just enough charm of its own to get by.