"Not in front of the American"

I spent a rainy Sunday afternoon catching a viewing of The Guard. I have only seen Brendan Gleeson in supporting roles up until now like Ken the experienced hit man in the 2008 In Bruges and Mad-Eye Moody in the various Harry Potter movies. It is good to know that he can carry a leading role. In the film he plays a very independently thinking Connemara police sergeant who winds up in a middle of a multinational drug deal occurring his quiet community in the west of Ireland. Don Cheadle plays an FBI officer sent to help capture the drug dealers and is a great "fish out of water" straight man for Gleeson's Irish wit. If you are looking for a film reflecting a cosmopolitan 21st Century Ireland, this is not for you. But if you are into clever non-PC banter delivered fluidly, check out the movie.