The Guard
User Score
7.2 out of 10

Generally favorable reviews- based on 82 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 67 out of 82
  2. Mixed: 8 out of 82
  3. Negative: 7 out of 82

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  1. JamesL
    Aug 23, 2011
    2
    I had expectations for this film but it is a flop. There is nothing funny or entertaining here. The film seemed like a bunch of outtakes picked off the cutting floor and stitched together. The humor was painful particularly the racial shots. How this got a high rating amazes me. I knew "Tree of Life" would bore me but this was even worse. Cheadle and Gleeson should hide their heads in shame. Eveything sucked in this film. THE SCRIPT, THE PLOT, THE JOKES,THE ACTING,! DREADFUL!… Expand
  2. bethesdabob
    Aug 15, 2011
    1
    I looked forward to seeing this movie but it was a disappointment. Don Cheadle was very good, and I always like him. Every other word in this movie was the f*** word. Is that really necessary? I don't think so. The premise of the movie is solid, but I think it could have been a lot better. I laughed at times, and I really like low-key humor, but this wasn't clever in the least.
  3. Sundancer
    Sep 9, 2011
    3
    Gleeson was great, but Cheadle's character was flat and uninteresting. His lines consisted mostly of some variation on an offended "Excuse me?", to heighten the outrageousness of Gleeson's quips. In fact, his whole character is there only as a foil for Boyle (hey, that rhymes!). "I can't figure out if you're really stupid or really smart." The same kind of amateurish writing is on display in the multiple scenes where the bad guys actually say things like, "We can't do that, we're drug traffickers!" As if the screenwriter was afraid the audience wouldn't get the irony and hilarity of something they were doing or saying unless he reminded us that these were the bad guys. Overall, a few funny moments or lines, but mostly unfunny and uneven.… Expand
  4. cyrokas
    Nov 22, 2011
    2
    This film is boring, and i think i'm going to comitt suicide.
    The argument is a crap, but the main actor as a funny cotes.
    I don't recomend this film.

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
78 out of 100

Generally favorable reviews - based on 29 Critics

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 27 out of 29
  2. Mixed: 2 out of 29
  3. Negative: 0 out of 29
  1. New Orleans Times-Picayune
    Reviewed by: Mike Scott
    Sep 2, 2011
    75
    An Ireland-set charmer oozing with a satisfying intelligence and driven by the considerable charisma of Brendan Gleeson ("Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows").
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  2. The Globe and Mail (Toronto)
    Reviewed by: Liam Lacey
    Aug 25, 2011
    75
    The Guard is guilty of being overly cute, but it brims with talent and a freshness that extends beyond the clever script.
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  3. Orlando Sentinel
    Reviewed by: Roger Moore
    Aug 20, 2011
    100
    The Guard soars along on a script, like those by the other McDonagh (Martin wrote and directed "In Bruges" and the Oscar winning short "Six Shooter," both starring Gleeson) built out of verbal flourishes and Irish curses.
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