“The Guard” was shot in 2010 and it was premiered on the 8th of July last summer just when the Sanfermin fiestas were taking place and perhaps for that reason the topical reference to the fiestas was made in the movie. In this section of the plot, the criminal is threatening to kill the sergeant Gerry Boyle (Brendan Gleeson) with a pistol and when he is just about to shoot, the sergeant manages to surprise him and fire first. The mortally wounded criminal laments his bad luck and tells the sergeant that there were so many fun things in life that he had wanted to experience and Boyle responds that for sure the running of the bulls in Pamplona would have been on his list. This film runs in the tradition of the Bucket List or Life List elaboration which includes some “must” things to do before one dies. The Pamplona Running of the Bulls tends to be a standard on this type of list as could be seen at the conclusion of this widely promoted spot for Levi´s in The US.
The Guard was written and directed by John Michael McDonagh (The Second Dead) and the leading role is played by Brendan Gleeson (parts in Harry Potter, Troy, Gangs of New York, 28 days later…, Mission Imposible 2 or Brave Heart, among other movies) and he is accompanied by Don Cheadle (Operation Swordfish, the saga of Ocean’s Eleven and the coming Iron Man 2 and 3, as well as having a main role in the prince of Bel Air, etc.). The movie is distributed by Sony Pictures Classics and Element Pictures and it was filmed by Reprisal Films. The role of Brendan Gleeson as well as the movie itself is nominated for the Golden Globes awards and the Satellite Awards, as well as having received favorable reviews such as those from the NYT.
