Published on October 29th, 2009 | by simeon

Gleeson, Cheadle Enlist In “Guard”

Brendan Gleeson and Don Cheadle are teaming for the Irish thriller “The Guard” for Reprisal Films and Element Pictures.

The story follows Sergeant Gerry Boyle (Gleeson) is a small-town unorthodox Irish policeman with a confrontational personality, a subversive sense of humour, a dying mother, a fondness for prostitutes, and absolutely no interest whatsoever in the international cocaine-smuggling ring that has brought FBI agent Wendell Everett (Cheadle) to his door.

However, despite the fact that Boyle seems more interested in mocking and undermining Everett than in actively working to solve the case, he finds that circumstances keep pulling him back into the thick of it. First his tiresomely enthusiastic new partner McBride disappears, then his favourite hooker attempts to blackmail him into turning a blind eye, and finally the drug-traffickers themselves try to buy him off as they have every other member of the local police force.

These events unwittingly offend Boyle’s murky moral code. He realises that he needs to take matters into his own hands, and the only person he can trust is Everett. And so the scene is set for an explosive finale.

Mark Strong, Liam Cunningham, Fionnuala Flanagan, David Wilmot, Rory Keenan, Pat Shortt and Katarina Cas also star. “Ned Kelly” writer John Michael McDonagh penned the script and will direct the project.

Chris Clark, Flora Fernandez Marengo, Ed Guiney and Andrew Lowe will produce. Shooting is currently underway in West Ireland.