Opinions on The Guard

The Guard If you ever doubted that the people of the British Isles love their Westerns, do not look past The Guard. Listed as a comedy, it is better understood as a nod to the American Western. Yes, it is set on the west coast of Ireland. Yes, neither of its leads ever hop on a horse, though, there is a horse scene. Yes, there are no ropes, dust, tumbleweeds, or cowboy hats, save for the one worn by a former member of the IRA. Missing are the accidentals of the cowboy genre, but accidentals do not make something one thing or another.

So the question then becomes, what makes a cowboy movie? I would argue several essential characteristics: mysterious, morally ambivalent protagonist(s), a quest for something good, bad guys, reticent but concise language, a supporting cast ruled by suspicion of authority but by and large well intentioned, and ambuscades and a showdown. This movie has all of the above, so we can disregard the patina of comedy and look at it as an addition to the Western genre. That isn't to say the movie isn't funny; it's probably the funniest movie I've seen this year. But its humor is a smart humor, not like the trash that sophomoric Americans laugh at (thinking specifically of Hangover-Horrible Bosses poo-penis-drug humor). But humor doesn't drive the movie and its not a good lens through which to view it. The layering of humor through the movie is nearly perfect, like a steady wind that never offends. Its humor serves as a counter weight to the protagonist, a man who, out of uniform, loves hookers and blow, but a man of ideals and character in uniform. But no matter what he wears, melancholy is always close to his cuff. Heroic or stubborn, arrogant heroes often hide their melancholy with humor, and Sergeant Boyle is no exception.

I'm sure many viewers will see the question of this movie as "You're either really dumb or really smart," a once repeated description of Boyle by Cheadle's character. But that's not the question. The question we want to know is which mask does Boyle wear: the comic or the tragic? And we're left believing it's the tragic, and his comedy is only comedy because of his sadness. Like good Westerns, The Guard will leave you thinking about the flawed hero. So far, the best Western of the year. 7/10