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Movie Review - The Guardian (2006)
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(What this rating means)
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| Director: |
Andrew Davis |
| Starring: |
Kevin Costner, Ashton Kutcher, Sela Ward, and Melissa Sagemiller |
| Rated: |
PG-13 (intense sequences and some language) |
| Length: |
136 minutes |
| Genre: |
Action/Adventure/Drama |
| Tagline: |
When lives are on the line, sacrifice everything. |
| Studio: |
Touchstone Pictures |
| Website: |
The Guardian |
| Release: |
September 29, 2006 |
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PLOT
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Kevin Costner is a legendary rescue swimmer who, after deal with the aftermath of surviving
a traumatic rescue mission, is sent to teach at "A" School, an elite training program for
Coast Guard Rescue Swimmers. In what can only described as a great set up for some really
lame puns, Costner sails in and rocks the boat with his unorthodox training methods.
No school in a movie like this would be complete without a young, cocky student who is
determined to strut his stuff and break all the swim records. Enter Ashton Kutcher's
pronounced brow.
As formula would have it, Costner must break the arrogant upstart's will and mold him into
the rescue swimmer he knows he can be. A new form of movie hero ensues.
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JOHNNY'S TAKE
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I was looking forward to The Guardian, but when I walked into the theater I wasn't really in the mood
for it at that particular time. It's kind of like the Olive Garden - I like it, but I have to be in the right
mindset to thoroughly enjoy it.
I'm not exactly sure what was dampening my spirit. The trailers looked good, but the water theme was giving me
bad flashbacks to the last Kevin Costner movie that dealt with the subject - Waterworld. Plus, despite the
promise Ashton Kutcher showed in The Butterfly Effect, I'm still not
completely sold on him. Something about the guy just annoys me. Probably has to do with his simian features.
It took approximately two minutes for my fears to subside and for my hesitancies to slip away. The movie immediately
throws us into the midst of a tense rescue mission, and I was gripped tighter than Kenny Rogers' orange face lift.
My concerns briefly bristled at Kutcher's initial appearance due to the fact that too much effort was made to paint
him as ridiculously cool and rebellious. Sunglasses, a tough guy toothpick in his mouth, and sportin' a smirk that'd
make George Clooney proud? Yeah, we get it. I was totally ready to hate him.
But then he had to go and deliver a fairly strong performance and force me to soften my jabs. Darn you, ape
man!
Efficiently mixing tense, exciting rescue scenes, drama, humor, and solid acting, The Guardian is easily a
film that I dare say the majority of audiences will enjoy. You can quibble about its clichés, predictability, and
rare moments of overcooked sappiness, but none of that takes away from the entertainment value.
I had a bad feeling that the pace would slow too much when Costner started training the young guys, but on the
contrary, the training sessions just might be the most interesting aspect of the film. Coast Guard Rescue Swimmers are
heroes whose stories have never really been portrayed on the big screen, so I feel the inside look at what they go
through and how tough it is to make it is very informative and a great way to introduce audiences to this
underappreciated group.
Do you have what it takes to be a rescue swimmer? Just think about it - you get to go on dangerous missions in cold,
dark, rough water, and then you must fight disorientation, exhaustion, hypothermia, and a lack of oxygen all while
trying to help stranded, panicked people who are depending on you for their survival. And if all that isn't bad
enough, sometimes you can't save everybody so you have to make the tough decision of who lives and who dies.
Man, who wants all that responsibility? Not me! I had no idea what it was really like for these guys, and who would
have thought I'd have an Ashton Kutcher/Kevin Costner movie to thank for the education?
Not only does The Guardian do a great job of paying tribute to this rare breed of hero, but lucky for us it
also does a good job of entertaining its paying customers.
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ODDS & ENDS
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- The Coast Guard saves nearly 5,000 lives and $2.5 billion worth of property in an average year. During
the 2005 hurricane season, they rescued or evacuated an estimated 33,520 people in the Gulf States ravaged
by Hurricane Katrina.
- Is it just me or would it make more sense for the estimate to be rounded down to 33,500? Why the extra
20? Seems pretty specific for an estimate. I know, I know, I'm nitpicking.
- The training program of the Rescue Swimmers is considered the toughest in all of the military – with
nearly 50% of those who enter dropping out.
- The training program of Movie Mark Movie Reviewers is equally as tough although they usually drop out
once they find out I'm not gonna pay them and they have to do it "for the love of the game."
- The Rescue Swimmer program was first mandated by Congress in 1984, after a cargo ship tragically lost
31 crew members to stormy waters on the Eastern Seaboard with only one Naval helicopter unit to assist.
- I can neither confirm nor deny that Ashton Kutcher could often be found on set singing along to the Kinks'
Apeman. "I'm an ape man, I'm an ape ape man, I'm an ape man!"
- With the Coast Guard’s cooperation, screenwriter Ron Brinkerhoff spent significant time at “A” School watching
young would-be heroes suffering through the infamous training regimens.
- String bean Kutcher was able to meet all the stringent requirements of a Coast Guard Swimmer well
before the end of his training – including tests of speed, strength and endurance - and his instructors noted
that he seemed to have what it takes to join their ranks.
- It's been rumored that immediately after the instructors made this statement, Kutcher could be seen slipping
them large rolls of money.
- Sela Ward has mastered the "misfortunate wife" supporting role, having previously worked with Andrew Davis
as Harrison Ford’s wife in The Fugitive.
- The Coast Guard Rescue Swimmer Program is the only one of its kind that is “gender blind” and allows women
to enter if they can meet the physical requirements.
- The Movie Mark also employs a “gender blind” policy and allows women to write for it if they can meet the
physical requirements.
- The foundation of the water tank that was used to replicate the ocean was an eight-chambered, 100 x 80 foot
concrete pool capable of holding 3/4 of a million gallons when full – built in front of a 50-foot tall blue screen
wall.
- Kevin Costner was in Open Range with Robert Duvall who was in Lonesome Dove with Tommy Lee
Jones who is in the upcoming No Country for Old Men with Josh Brolin who was in Hollow Man with
Kevin Bacon.
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MAMA'S APPROVAL
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One "f" bomb and a couple of G-d**ns are the worst profanities thrown our way. There are a few more profanities
here and there, but their usage is fairly light. There's no nudity, but Ashton Kutcher does engage in premarital
sex (nothing's shown). Some of the rescue scenes are fairly intense, and while there is some blood, it's minimal.
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TRAILER COMPARISON
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The trailer looked really good, and the movie didn't disappoint.
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THE GIST
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Moviegoers wanting an inside look at what it's like to embark on a daring rescue mission in the middle of the ocean
might want to give The Guardian a chance. I saw it for free, but had I paid I would've felt I had gotten
my money's worth.
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