--- title: "The Guard: the reviews" canonical: "https://film.one/film/the-guard/reviews" title_page: "https://film.one/film/the-guard" critics_score: 77 critics_reviews: 21 licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL." --- # The Guard (2011): what the critics said Critics' score 77 from 21 reviews: 19 positive, 2 mixed, 0 negative. Most critics welcome The Guard as a sharp, profane buddy-cop comedy, with praise concentrated on Brendan Gleeson’s performance as the contrary Sergeant Gerry Boyle. The reviews find him funny, unpredictable and sufficiently human to keep the character from becoming a collection of outrageous remarks. His chemistry with Don Cheadle is another recurring pleasure, alongside the screenplay’s barbed dialogue, small-town observations and sly handling of Irish identity. Familiar police-film conventions give the humour something useful to push against. The differences concern how much the storytelling matters beside that central performance. Several favourable reviews acknowledge a thin crime plot or sluggish momentum without finding either fatal. Time Out is less forgiving of the wandering plot, surplus characters and uneven direction, while Digital Spy wants greater character depth. The spread remains largely positive rather than polarised: even the two mixed reviews find substantial pleasure in the performances and humour. ## Empire — Kim Newman Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 15 June 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. [Read the review](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/guard-review/) ## Evening Standard Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 10 April 2012. 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. [Read the review](https://www.standard.co.uk/culture/film/the-guard-review-7426329.html) ## Vulture Fi1m's normalised score 85/100 (inferred from the text). 29 July 2011. 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. [Read the review](https://www.vulture.com/2011/07/movie_review_the_guard_is_a_do.html) ## Little White Lies — Zara Joan Miller Rating 3/4/4. 18 August 2011. 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. [Read the review](https://lwlies.com/reviews/the-guard) ## RogerEbert.com — Roger Ebert Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 3 August 2011. 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. [Read the review](https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/the-guard-2011) ## The Hollywood Reporter — Todd McCarthy Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 21 January 2011. Festival review. 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. [Read the review](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/general-news/guard-sundance-review-74469/) ## The AV Club — Keith Phipps Rating B. 28 July 2011. 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. [Read the review](https://www.avclub.com/the-guard-1798169113) ## Slant Magazine Fi1m's normalised score 75/100 (inferred from the text). 29 April 2011. 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. [Read the review](https://www.slantmagazine.com/film/the-guard/) ## The New York Times — Manohla Dargis Fi1m's normalised score 75/100 (inferred from the text). 28 July 2011. 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. [Read the review](https://www.nytimes.com/2011/07/29/movies/the-guard-starring-brendan-gleeson-and-don-cheadle-review.html) ## IndieWire — Gabe Toro Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 27 July 2011. 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. [Read the review](https://www.indiewire.com/news/general/review-the-guard-is-irelands-acidic-answer-to-the-buddy-cop-formula-117236/) ## Screen Daily Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 21 January 2011. Festival review. 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. [Read the review](https://www.screendaily.com/the-guard/5022606.article) ## The Guardian — Steve Rose Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 18 August 2011. 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. [Read the review](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2011/aug/18/the-guard-review) ## Variety — Justin Chang Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 21 January 2011. Festival review. 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. [Read the review](https://www.variety.com/review/VE1117944335) ## Time Out — Tom Huddleston Rating 3/5. 16 August 2011. 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. [Read the review](https://www.timeout.com/movies/the-guard-1) ## /Film — Germain Lussier Rating 9/10. 27 January 2011. Festival review. 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. [Read the review](https://www.slashfilm.com/513523/guard-hot-fuzz-bruges-equals-funnier-sundance-review/) ## Eye for Film — Amber Wilkinson Fi1m's normalised score 85/100 (inferred from the text). 13 June 2011. Festival review. 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. [Read the review](https://www.eyeforfilm.co.uk/review/the-guard-film-review-by-amber-wilkinson) ## Collider — Matt Goldberg Rating B+. 30 January 2011. Festival review. 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. [Read the review](https://collider.com/the-guard-review/) ## Den of Geek — Ryan Lambie Rating 4/5. 25 July 2011. 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. [Read the review](https://www.denofgeek.com/movies/the-guard-review/) ## HeyUGuys — Jamie Neish Rating 4/5. 15 June 2011. Festival review. 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. [Read the review](https://www.heyuguys.com/eiff-2011-the-guard-review/) ## The Playlist — The Playlist Staff Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 27 July 2011. The review positions the film as Ireland’s acidic answer to the buddy-cop formula, celebrating its sharp, profane script and performances. [Read the review](https://theplaylist.net/review-the-guard-is-irelands-acidic-answer-to-the-buddy-cop-formula-20110727/) ## Digital Spy — Stella Papamichael Rating 3/5. 15 August 2011. 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. [Read the review](https://www.digitalspy.com/movies/a331531/the-guard-review/) --- © Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Our review: https://film.one/film/the-guard.md