One of the best, and most unlikely, buddy movies of the year, The Guard, came by way of Ireland, and starred Brendan Gleeson as a pseudo-racist cop and Don Cheadle as a fish-out-of-water CIA agent from Wisconsin. The two cross paths in quiet Connemara, where a $500-million drug deal is about to go down.
Gerry's racist ramblings irk Agent Everett (Cheadle) until his other qualities surface: despite the occasional meetings with prostitutes, evidence that goes missing and colourful vocabulary, he's an ace investigator, and has a surprising history, if it's true. The men face off against three high-minded criminals (Mark Strong, Liam Cunningham, David Wilmot) who quote Nietzsche and Dylan Thomas when they're not killing people. Gerry gets his intel from some unorthodox sources, and will have to face off against a sea of crooked cops if he wants to do the right thing.
Every character is a scene-stealer; each actor shares in the great-if playfully profane-script. You've seen the white guy-black guy pairing (48 Hours, Cop Out, Showtime, even Rush Hour), but you've never seen it like this, aided by the genuine rapport between the lead actors and strong supporting players. Very dark and very funny.
Special features include audio commentary with director John Michael McDonagh, Gleeson and Cheadle; a look at Second Death, the short film that inspired the feature; deleted scenes and outtakes; and a comprehensive behind-the-scenes featurette, complete with cast interviews.
