The Guard (2011)

The critic praises this shaggy-dog cop comedy as one of the year's most entertaining films, highlighting Brendan Gleeson's commanding lead performance as the irreverent Garda sergeant and the script's sharp, unconventional characters and dialogue.

The review lauds Brendan Gleeson's star turn as the contrarian Irish policeman and commends the witty screenplay for its ironic take on Irish identity and its entertaining odd-couple dynamic with the FBI agent.

The critic finds it dirty, bloody fun that is well-acted, explosively funny, and tightly executed, with a brilliant performance by Brendan Gleeson as the profane, black-humored sergeant.

The critic highlights the swaggering, memorable creation of Sergeant Gerry Boyle as an unorthodox antihero in a high-octane clash of American cop tropes and Irish small-town life. It delivers plenty of laughs through sharp dialogue and cultural pastiche, marking it as one of the funniest action comedies in some time.

The critic praises Brendan Gleeson’s charismatic performance as the irreverent Irish cop paired with Don Cheadle’s FBI agent in this buddy comedy. He highlights the film’s sly Irish humor, local color, and satisfying climactic shootout as making it a pleasure despite familiar formulas.

The critic calls it a scabrous, profane, violent, verbally adroit and very often hilarious variation on the buddy-cop format, capped by Brendan Gleeson's protean performance as an iconoclastic Irish policeman.

The film tweaks buddy-cop and fish-out-of-water expectations through Gleeson’s enigmatic, funny, and unnerving performance as a corrupt yet oddly effective cop; it lacks momentum but rightly centers on him.

McDonagh’s script self-reflexively tweaks cop and crime film conventions with shrewd wit and subversive humor while giving the caricature-like Boyle enough humanity; the film is ultimately Gleeson’s show as a hilarious comedic creation.

The review finds the mismatched-partners comedy entertaining thanks to the lead actors’ chemistry and the film’s bright visuals and off-color jokes. It notes that the thin crime plot serves mainly as a vehicle for the performers and Irish setting.

The review positions the film as Ireland’s acidic answer to the buddy cop formula, highlighting its vulgar humor and Brendan Gleeson’s central performance.

The critic praises the quirky rebel cop at the heart of this odd-couple buddy film and Brendan Gleeson’s delightful performance in the black comedy. McDonagh’s witty script and deft casting make it likely to win over English-speaking audiences, though the FBI agent character is somewhat boilerplate.

The brother of In Bruges director Martin McDonagh delivers another nicely eccentric crime comedy that is almost as enjoyable, if less coherent. Gleeson is on fine form as an unorthodox garda paired with Don Cheadle's flummoxed FBI man, with the film offering a sly take on Ireland's insularity and Americanisation.

The critic calls Brendan Gleeson’s crusty performance the main asset in this otherwise routine crime saga about drug trafficking and police corruption. He praises the rudely funny tone, atmospheric Irish west-coast backdrop, and stylish lark quality of the directorial debut.

The critic celebrates the unforgettable central character of Garda Sergeant Gerry Boyle and Brendan Gleeson’s towering performance, along with the script’s memorable one-liners and observations on small-town life. However, the film is let down by a wandering plot, too many side characters, and direction that fails to fully cohere into a satisfying whole.

The critic calls it one of the best films at Sundance, praising the award-worthy screenplay, hilarious banter, memorable characters and Gleeson-Cheadle chemistry as making it funnier than Hot Fuzz or In Bruges.

The critic highlights the film's exploitation of contrasts for deadpan humour and absurdist set-ups, calling it a little gem that spins a mismatched buddy-cop tale to blisteringly funny effect with excellent dialogue and camerawork.

The critic calls the film a fun mash-up of fish-out-of-water and buddy-cop comedies with sharp dialogue and energetic direction, but notes the plot relies too heavily on coincidence. The standout is Brendan Gleeson's brilliant, nuanced performance as the contradictory Sergeant Gerry Boyle.

The critic calls it one of the funniest and most intelligent deconstruction of the buddy cop thriller, praising Gleeson's brilliant performance and McDonagh's witty script. It lacks some narrative drive compared to In Bruges but delivers great chemistry and laughs.

The critic praises the profane humour, one-liners, distinctive characters and strong performances, especially Gleeson, while noting the script's self-awareness and social commentary. Minor complaints include an inconclusive third act and underexplored villain dynamics.

The review positions the film as Ireland’s acidic answer to the buddy-cop formula, celebrating its sharp, profane script and performances.

The review sees it as a likeable genre-mashing caper with strong chemistry between Gleeson and Cheadle and sharp gallows humour. It notes the film does not delve as deeply into characters as the director's brother's work but remains affectionate and entertaining.