SUNDANCE: ‘The Guard,’ Starring Brendan Gleeson, Receives Raucous Reception

PARK CITY — The Guard, a dark comedy written and directed by John Michael McDonagh, opened Sundance’s World Cinema Dramatic Competition to a receptive and sometimes raucous Egyptian Theatre audience Thursday night.

The film, which stars Brendan Gleeson as salty, small town Irish policeman, and Don Cheadle as a straitlaced FBI agent chasing drug traffickers through Ireland, crackles with rapid-fire dialogue and sharp plotting. It’s a star turn for Gleeson, whose Sergeant Gerry Boyle is both confrontational and kind — often at once.

“All the bile and hatred that built up over the years — I decided to put it in one character,” said McDonagh of Gleeson’s Boyle, a character who first made an appearance in the director’s 2000 short, The Second Death. The Guard is McDonagh’s feature directorial debut; he also wrote 2003’s Ned Kelly.

Related Stories

Movie News

Tabitha Jackson Exiting Post as Sundance Fest Director

Movie News

Hollywood Disability Rights Groups Call on Cannes to Increase Accessibility

Gleeson’s scenes with Cheadle are electric, with the duo eviscerating typical buddy cop film talking points; their bickering and banter elicited some of the biggest laughs of the film.

But, every so often a joke or quick quip was lost on Sundance’s largely American audience, perhaps because of the Irish cultural references and a slew of thick accents that take a bit of time for American viewers to wrap their ears around. That could be an issue for the offbeat comedy as it looks to find a stateside indie audience.

If a comparison can be drawn, the film is reminiscent of the 2008 criminal caper In Bruges, at least in terms of tone. That makes sense — Gleeson stars in both films and Bruges writer/director Martin McDonough is the brother of John Michael McDonagh. Martin McDonagh also served as executive producer of The Guard.

John Michael McDonagh joked at the Q&A following the screening about his brother’s chief contribution to The Guard: Getting Gleeson to read the script.