An almost sure fire way to make a compelling movie, or at least a compelling idea for one, is to take two completely contrasting elements and stick them together. Cowboys and Aliens, for instance, sounds like a pretty awesome idea; it just needed better execution. So what would be stranger than pitting a cowboy up against an alien? How about sticking a black guy in the middle of Ireland? Or more precisely, buddying up Don Cheadle with Brendan Gleeson in one of the funniest duos in recent memory. Their characters are literally as different as black and white and are so obviously mismatched for each other that it is almost guaranteed to work on some level.
Sergeant Gerry Boyle (Gleeson) can almost be described as an ignorant redneck, if Ireland has such a phrase, but he is hard to read. Is he really this ignorant when it comes to black people ("I thought only black lads were drug dealers. And Mexicans.") or is he purposely being offensive? Either way, to the viewer, he is hilarious, though he may not be so funny to Wendell Everett (Cheadle). He doesn't quite know what to make of Boyle; he is almost at a loss for words to how offensive Boyle is yet he is clearly drawn to his personality. He tells him, "I can't tell if you're really mother f*cking dumb or really mother f*cking smart." And to be honest, neither can the viewer.
Boyle is a questionable guard, or guarda, the Gaelic word for polieceman. He tastelessly plays a joke with a dead body at a crime scene, he searches a body for drugs that he can keep for himself in another. Rather than focusing all his energy on the big drug and murder case, he insists on taking his day off to spend some quality time with a couple of hookers. He seems like a pretty morally corrupt individual let alone a cop, yet when all the chips are on the table, he doesn't take the payoff and tries to do right.
He is buddied up with FBI agent Everett who is sent to Ireland to investigate a drug smuggling operation and the sparks fly right away. The two share a back and forth rapport where Boyle will say something outrageous and Everett will respond with a WTF expression. Gleeson and Cheadle are perfectly mismatched for each other and it is a pleasure to watch. Gleeson is the clear star though as he is given the most to work with and capitalizes on it big time, playing a hilarious and complex character.
This movie is well acted all the way around. Gleeson is great. Cheadle is very good. Mark Strong plays one of the bad guys and he clearly has a blast doing so. They are helped by a very sharp and witty screenplay that is funny, vulgar and violent. Also, I can't tell what accent is more crazy, the American midwest one from Fargo or an Irish one. There's even a bit in the beginning of the movie where they can't even understand their own accents.
Grade: A-
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