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Edit
Storyline
Sergeant Gerry Boyle is a small-town Irish cop with a confrontational personality, a subversive sense of humor, a dying mother, a fondness for prostitutes, and absolutely no interest whatsoever in the international cocaine-smuggling ring that has brought straight-laced FBI agent Wendell Everett to his door.
Written by
Element Pictures
Plot Summary
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Add Synopsis
Taglines:
The FBI are about to discover that things work a little different around here.
Motion Picture Rating
(MPAA)
Rated R for pervasive language, some violence, drug material and sexual content
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Details
Release Date:
7 July 2011 (Ireland)
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Box Office
Budget:
$6,000,000
(estimated)
Opening Weekend USA:
$76,834,
31 July 2011
Gross USA:
$5,360,274
Cumulative Worldwide Gross:
$19,560,274
See more on IMDbPro »
Company Credits
Technical Specs
Aspect Ratio:
2.35 : 1
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full technical specs »
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Did You Know?
Trivia
Boyle's reference that "the FBI lad probably hadn't had this much fun since they burned all those kids up in Waco" is a reference to the Waco Siege of February 1993, where the FBI led an assault on the Mount Carmel Center ranch. Seventy-six men, women and children, including the sect leader of the Branch Davidians, David Koresh, died from flames, smoke inhalation, building collapse, or gunfire.
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Goofs
The diner Boyle meets the prostitute in is one of the "Eddie Rocket's" chain. They are joined by Francis Sheehy, carrying a bottle of "Corona Extra" beer. However, no alcoholic beverages are served at Eddie Rocket's at any time.
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Quotes
[
first lines]
Sergeant Gerry Boyle:
[
red car speeds past his speed trap, tires screech, car crashes]
Sergeant Gerry Boyle:
[
finds drugs in the pocket of dead teen]
I don't think your mammy would be too pleased about that now.
Sergeant Gerry Boyle:
[
walks aside and swallows one of the pills]
What a beautiful fuckin' day.
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Connections
References
School's Out (1930)
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Soundtracks
The Humours of Glin
Traditional
Performed by
Liam Clancy,
Pat Clancy and
Tommy Makem See more »
Frequently Asked Questions
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»
User Reviews
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I saw this movie in Galway at the film Fleadh. Dit it entertain me? Absolutely. Would I buy it on DVD / Blu Ray ? Another yes. Funnier than The Hangover [1st film] In my opinion yes. However just like that film you have to decide very early on to suspend your disbelief and just go along for the ride.
I feel a little for John Michael McDonagh as he will no doubt always walk in the shadow of his brother. Which is a burden most writer / directors do not have to deal with. Already an early reviewer has compared it to In Bruges. I think I gave In Bruges a ten star rating. This has an eight. In Bruges - as extraordinary as it was - had a whiff of truth about it and the danger in the movie was real. Here the action is so cartoon that it generates no tension at all, and you never really fear for the characters. Of course Gleeson is in both movies and in my opinion give a much better performance in In Bruges. . Here he is just having fun. Who can blame him... The characters in The Guard are drawn with very broad brush strokes, and lack any kind of subtlety. The sub-plot involving Fionnula Flanagan feels bolted on and slows the movie down. It's intended to show the main character has a softer side, but you can get that through the thrust of the main story, and the elements are there to take advantage of this. Simple things that could have been done to add a little more realism and heart to the movie that would have generated greater emotion, depth of feeling, tension, jeopardy and ultimately bigger laughs.
At the Q & A afterward it was suggested the script was written in 13 days. Clearly that was just a first draft - but I do think subsequent drafts were not worked hard enough. As sometimes there isn't enough breathing space between the jokes... so the bigger gags / situations don't build in the way they should. Or a moment of compassion is lost because a laugh comes rolling on top of it due to a cheap gag.In that respect it feels to me as if the writer / director is still learning pace and rhythm. It's very common in comedy where a writer doesn't want to lose what he feels is a good gag - but sometimes you have to cut gag A in order to get a bigger laugh on gag B. A stronger script editor on the film could have made all the difference.
So all in all it is a bravo. I very much enjoyed the movie. I do expect John Michael McDonagh to go on to bigger and better things and I wish the movie great success. After all 8/10 is a great score.