The Guardian

Starring: Kevin Costner, Ashton Kutcher, Sela Ward, Melissa Sagemiller
Directed by: Andrew Davis
Rating: PG-13
Genre: Action, Drama
Box Office: $
2006

Times Seen:
Tim: 1

Summary: A legendary Rescue Swimmer (Kevin Costner) in the Coast Guard reluctantly takes a teaching position at the academy. There, he finds a recruit (Ashton Kutcher) with an arrogant attitude, but a great deal of potential.

Review:

Tim: This is a movie that flirts with giving us too much of a good thing. The film is quite good, but it is also extremely long (137 minutes is at least 15 minutes too long). However, the film is paced out very nicely, and the long run time doesn’t feel too long until the last 10 minutes. The movie offers little new—we’ve seen this all before. However, the movie offers some strong storytelling and the plot is wrapped up tightly, never wavering or straying from its message.

The film really works because of the performances of its two leads. Kevin Costner is in excellent form as a legendary rescue diver reluctantly taking a teaching position, while still being haunted by his recent tragic past. Costner seems like he is aging well, and I look forward to him moving into the mentor role in films, rather than the action star alone. He has a capable protégé in Ashton Kutcher. Kutcher gives a surprisingly good dramatic performance. He needed to have an edge of arrogance, and Kutcher plays this nicely, ensuring he never strays into unlikeable territory. The movie is really about these two men and their interactions, and the film tells this story nicely.

The Guardian has some excellent scenes. The bar scenes are all quite good and provide a nice lighter touch to the more dramatic and intense training sequences. The film builds up beautifully to a nice climax which isn’t necessarily easy to see coming. However, the film tries to end in powerful fashion, but inexplicably, the emotional punch that has been building for the entire movie is lost. The film’s conclusion is not as nearly as touching as it should have been. While we are still very much invested in the film, it squandered the chance to leave its audience in breathtaking fashion. The movie’s conclusion is still quite good, but it hurt its chances of being a great movie.

The Guardian is certainly a long movie, and I would give yourself ample time to watch it. This is not a film you will want to be interrupted during. The movie expertly balances intense training scenes with quite good character development ones. What we have is a well crafted movie that entertains and will be memorable long after you’ve seen it.

Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating- 7.5


If You Enjoyed This Movie, We Recommend: Waterworld, The Bodyguard