Review: The Guard

The Guard's plot may be a tad predictable, but thanks to a script packed full of outrageous one-liners alongside some poignant bitter-sweet moments, it overcomes these problems with ease to end up a highly entertaining movie.

Directed by John Michael McDonagh, the film comes close to matching up to his brother's In Brugges, but odd couple cops Don Cheadle and Brendan Gleeson don't quite have the same chemistry the Irishman shared with Colin Farrell as hitmen hiding out in Belgium.

As a result, you could argue The Guard features a stronger performance from Gleeson, having to carry a weaker story almost on his own - though look out for Mark Strong in a frustratingly small turn as one of the erudite English drug-smuggler who steals all the scenes he's in.

Comparisons to In Brugges are unavoidable and the basic story does make it feel like a b-side to his brother's work, but the comedy is more broader and the warmer feel to proceedings could actually take it out of that films shadows and make it work with a much wider audience.