Movie Review: The Guardian

Stars: 4 out of 5
Pros: Acting makes the characters come alive

Cons: Story is mostly familiar

The Bottom Line:

By the numbers plot

But great acting, characters

Make you forget that

Formulaic but Entertaining

Ben Randall (Kevin Costner) is a rarity in the Coast Guard. Even though he's over 40, he's still in the field serving as a rescue swimmer. Whenever the sea near his base in Kodiak, Alaska gets rough, he's the one who jumps out of the helicopter and rescues those who have fallen overboard. And he's one of the best at what he does, with an impressive record or saves against overwhelming odds.

However, he's hit a rough patch. His wife (Sela Ward) has left him and his entire crew was killed in an accident while they were trying to rescue the survivor of a shipwreck. In a move to help him recover emotionally, he's temporarily reassigned to "A" School, where the Coast Guard trains rescue swimmers.

And that's how Ben happens to be on hand when Jake Fischer (Ashton Kutcher) enters the program. He's a high school swimming star who has turned down Ivy League scholarships to become a rescue swimmer. On the first day, he brags that he will beat all of Randall's old records.

Obviously, Jake has a problem with arrogance. Ben doesn't give him a break but spends all his time picking on his star student. Will Jake stand up to the pressure?

Given the previews and the plot of this movie, I'm sure it will surprise very few people when I describe it as formulaic. There were a couple surprises along the way, but for the most part, things unfolded exactly as I expected then to.

So, for a movie like this to succeed, it must rely on characters and actors. Here, the movie hits a home run. Both Ben and Jake are deeply flawed men who are struggling to maintain or regain their pride. Even Jake, who comes across as arrogant much of the time, has a truly compassionate side that surfaces as well. The movie does a good job of letting us connect with both men, which pulls us into the story.

The excellent writing is helped by the great acting. Both Kevin Costner and Ashton Kutcher do fabulous jobs bringing their characters to life. The emotional scenes captivated me. Along the way, they do get to have some fun as well, and the comedic scenes are just as fun to watch. Their performances are helped by the rest of the cast who do great in their rolls even if most of the rest of the characters are slightly underdeveloped.

The movie runs 136 minutes. I didn't know this going in and was shocked at how late it was by the time the movie was over. I was never bored but engrossed by what was happening on the screen at all times. If anything, I felt that the movie could have been longer. There were several parts of the training I felt were chopped out that could have added to the dramatic story line.

And I should mention the special effects. The beginning and climax feature some truly angry seas. I found myself actually believing every bit of film I saw. The special effects serve their purpose; they help tell an engrossing story.

Even though the plot isn't the most original out there, The Guardian is still very entertaining and well worth seeing. I was moved and am very glad I went to see the sneak peak this weekend.