Either Really [Bleepin'] Smart or Really [Bleepin'] Dumb

Last updated on: July 30, 2012 at 6:19 am by J. Ryan Parker

Either Really [Bleepin'] Smart or Really [Bleepin'] Dumb 2012-07-30T06:19:08-07:00 J. Ryan Parker

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

I’ve long been interested in teaching a class on humor and the “isms” (race, class, sex, elite) and phobias that plague our existence. If I can ever teach that class, I’ll show The Guard, John Michael McDonagh‘s take on the police buddy comedy that approaches race/ism with some intelligence, humor, and complexity and features two fine performances by Brendan Gleeson and Don Cheadle.

Sergeant Gerry Boyle (Brendan Gleeson) is a Galway policeman who speaks first and asks questions later. He and recent transfer, Aidan McBride (Rory Keenan), have been called to investigate a mysterious murder. At the same time, Sergeant Boyle is scheduled to attend a presentation by Wendell Everett (Don Cheadle) on a missing illegal drug shipment and the suspected culprits operating in the area. Could the murder be related? The film follows Sergeant Boyle and Agent Everett’s attempts to get to the bottom of things and their efforts to get on with each other, despite the sergeant’s racist exterior. Boyle could be putting Everett on, or he could either be the smartest or dumbest guy in the room, to paraphrase Everett’s ultimate assessment of his new colleague. While Everett is off following his leads, Boyle begins to uncover deeper layers of corruption that Everett misses by following so-called good information.

Agent Wendell Everett (Cheadle) and Sergeant Gerry Boyle (Gleeson) talk shop over a couple of pints of Guinness.

The strength of The Guard lies in its script and lead performances and the way the two combine to slowly build Gleeson’s character. I’m a fan of both lead actors. Cheadle’s work speaks for itself, and here he perfectly plays the flabbergasted foil to Boyle’s seemingly bumbling idiocy. But there’s no mistaking that it’s Gleeson’s film. There’s humor in his assumptions, confusion, and in-the-moment honesty, but there’s something else at work here.

If you’ve ever seen The Commitments and watch The Guard, you’ll inevitably recall Jimmy Rabbitte’s (Robert Arkins) line:

“Do you not get it, lads? The Irish are the blacks of Europe. And Dubliners are the blacks of Ireland. And the Northside Dubliners are the blacks of Dublin. So say it once, say it loud: I’m black and I’m proud.”

What writer/director McDonagh is touching on is the reality that racism, classism, and the whole lot come in a variety of forms and often transcends color. There is clear evidence of all those -isms at work in The Guard between Irish characters that I, as an outsider, and even Cheadle’s character, as an outsider, do not fully grasp. That Boyle doesn’t fully get the offensive nature of so many of his questions is evidence that many times racism is a product not only of hatred and bigotry but plain ignorance and blind acceptance of stereotypes. At the same time, McDonagh plays on our own racist assumptions by foiling our expectations. In the middle of Agent Everett’s presentation, Boyle speaks up: “I only thought black lads were drug dealers. And Mexicans. They have a word for them. [Pregnant Pause] Mules. Drug Mules.” When his superior tells him to apologize to Everett for his racist slurs, Boyle responds, “I’m Irish, racism is part of my culture.”

Sergeant Boyle on his day off.

Though on the other side of the law, Gleeson plays a similar character to his turn in In Bruges, one of my favorite films and, coincidentally, directed by McDonagh’s brother Martin. A criminal there, he is a law enforcement officer here with plenty of flaws, or as Roger Ebert wrote in his review, “Gleeson is not an evil cop, just a bad one.” He sleeps with prostitutes, steals from a crime scene (to protect the victim…in a way), and drinks to excess. Yet when other officers get in bed with the opposition, he refuses to participate in the corruption. It is clear that he has a moral code that, while flexible, has its limits. He follows the case to the bitter end, knowing that it could cost him his life, and, if it doesn’t, what life he does have thereafter will be marked. He will forever be on the run from the forces that he knows exist above the mid-level drug dealers he confronts in the end.

While issues of race and class often take a back seat to the plot, they’re still important subtexts. Racism is still an issue everywhere, even in the United States where its first black president campaigns for reelection. Consider the case of the church in Crystal Springs, Mississippi. It’s clear that serious conversations and change still need to take place. There is much work left to do. But around such difficult situations, sometimes you have to laugh to keep from crying. In The Guard, we have a film that makes us laugh and think. A rare treat these days.

The Guard (96 mins.) is rated R for pervasive language, some violence, drug material, and sexual content and is available on DVD.

Film

Previous Post

July 25, 2012

Even Vampires Debate Biblical Inerrancy

Next Post

August 3, 2012 A New Voice and a Pop Music Canon

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category Classics DVD Film Music News Pop Culture Events Print Sports Television Uncategorized Video Games

Select a Month March 2017 February 2017 January 2017 December 2016 November 2016 October 2016 September 2016 August 2016 July 2016 June 2016 May 2016 April 2016 March 2016 February 2016 January 2016 December 2015 November 2015 October 2015 September 2015 August 2015 July 2015 June 2015 May 2015 April 2015 March 2015 February 2015 January 2015 December 2014 November 2014 October 2014 September 2014 August 2014 July 2014 June 2014 May 2014 April 2014 March 2014 February 2014 January 2014 December 2013 November 2013 October 2013 September 2013 August 2013 July 2013 June 2013 May 2013 April 2013 March 2013 February 2013 January 2013 December 2012 November 2012 October 2012 September 2012 August 2012 July 2012 June 2012 May 2012 April 2012 March 2012 February 2012 January 2012 December 2011 November 2011 October 2011 September 2011 August 2011 July 2011 June 2011 May 2011 April 2011 March 2011 February 2011 January 2011 December 2010 November 2010 October 2010 September 2010 August 2010 July 2010 June 2010 May 2010 April 2010 March 2010 February 2010 January 2010 December 2009 November 2009 October 2009 September 2009 August 2009 July 2009 June 2009 May 2009 April 2009 March 2009 February 2009 January 2009 December 2008 November 2008 October 2008 September 2008 August 2008 July 2008 June 2008 May 2008 April 2008 March 2008 February 2008 January 2008 December 2007 November 2007 October 2007 September 2007 August 2007 July 2007 June 2007 May 2007 April 2007 March 2007

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz

Commanded to go to Nineveh, I fled in the opposite direction on a ship to Tarshish. Who am I?

Select your answer to see how you score.

Elijah Hosea Jeremiah Jonah