In a Nutshell. Mini reviews of movies old and new. No fuss. No spoilers. And often no sleep.

Thursday 11 October 2012

THE GUARD [2011]

Written & directed by John Michael McDonagh (brother of Martin), The Guard is a hilarious crime caper from Ireland.  Brendan Gleeson and Don Cheadle do a fine job with the buddy-cop formula without ever feeling too forced or unrealistic, while McDonagh feeds them some snappy, yet quiet dialogue and beautifully frames them in front of the gloomy Irish coast or a run down village pub.  What could have been a loud, over-the-top violent Tarantino rip-off, instead delights with a scaled down character-driven story and a fantastic spaghetti western-esque score courtesy of Calexico. 
A great tiny little film that tries to be nothing more than just that.

3½ crotch surprises out of 5

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