Brendan Gleeson is a barrel of laughs in ‘The Guard’

Brendan Gleeson. Brendan Gleeson. Brendan Gleeson.

Is there anything more to say?

The character actor is one of Hollywood’s treasures. He is able to bring to life many a great role, including memorable performances in Cold Mountain, In Bruges, Dark Blue and now the wonderfully dark comedy, The Guard.

Gleeson plays Sgt. Gerry Boyle, an offensive Irish policeman with a dirty mouth, a love for his ailing mother and a penchant for enjoying prostitutes on his days off. He generally goes about his work as a pseudo-hall monitor, stopping in at old drinking haunts to checkup on the local riffraff.

Crime doesn’t scare him; in fact, it doesn’t even seem to affect him. He simply enjoys the day in his Irish community, trying to solve trouble rather than start trouble.

Enter Wendell Everett (Don Cheadle), an FBI agent whose made the jump across the pond to investigate the goings-on of some high-profile drug lords who are set to land in Ireland. Boyle and Everett don’t exactly get off on the right foot: It only takes a few seconds for the seasoned Irish officer to drop a few racial invectives, and Everett is already wishing he was back home.

As this is a movie, the two naturally need each other to find the increasingly violent drug dealers. Boyle brings local experience, while Everett fills in the blanks with his international knowledge. The two, at first, can’t stand each other, but they soon realize they need to work together.

Writer and director John Michael McDonagh, brother of fellow writer Martin McDonagh, has a way of making The Guard seamlessly natural and almost always hilarious. He does this by trusting his characters to hold the hands of the viewers from beginning to end. And Boyle and Everett are fascinating to watch. They are like two peas in a very unusual pod.

Gleeson’s performance anchors much of the film. At times, you hate the bumbling idiot, but then you realize that there’s a kindness behind the rough façade. Yes, he’s racist. Yes, he plays fast and loose with the rules. Yes, he probably should be fired. But he’s also a worthy caretaker of his dying mother (Fionnula Flanagan) and tries his best to keep his community safe. As the movie says, you can’t tell whether he’s stupid or brilliant.

Cheadle is an able partner. He refuses to let Boyle get away with his antics, but he also understands the value of the officer’s unique policework.

Beyond these two characters, the rest of The Guard is passable. The entire plot involving the drug dealers is seen from a bird’s-eye view, and you never get under the skin of these villains. They do bad things, and they speak bad lines — but that’s about it. At times, they are so one-dimensional that I thought they may twirl their mustaches and cackle. The movie is at its best when it focuses on the unlikely relationship between Boyle and Everett, two fish out of water.

Note to American viewers: The Irish brogues in the film are nearly impossible to understand. This is one English-language film that deserves subtitles. Because Gleeson is perfect as Boyle, his accent is so localized that it sounds like a foreign tongue.

The Guard will entertain viewers for its 96 minutes, and that’s because of its central performance. The comedic film proves that once again Gleeson knows how to bring the good stuff and carve out an interesting character.

By John Soltes / Publisher / John@HollywoodSoapbox.com

• The Guard

• 2011

• Written and directed by John Michael McDonagh

• Starring Brendan Gleeson, Don Cheadle and Fionnula Flanagan

• Running time: 96 minutes

• Rated R for pervasive language, some violence, drug material and sexual content

• Rating: