The Guardian Review
by Clint Morris
He’s a seasoned pro, approaching his use-by date, that was
once the best in the business. Unfortunately, some young guys -
despite the fact that they’re not half as good as the vet – have since
come up, and are now getting the jobs he use to be handed on a silver
platter back in the day. Hmm…funny how Kevin Costner’s latest movie
mirrors his professional career. In The Guardian,
Costner plays ‘the legendary’ (those words were probably scribbled next
to the character breakdown when he received it – in an effort to get
him to sign on) Rescue Swimmer Ben Randall, a top gun who becomes the
sole survivor of a deadly crash at the height of a colossal squall. In
the wake of the accident, he is sent against his will to teach at “A”
School—the elite training program that turns arrogant young recruits
into the best and bravest of Rescue Swimmers. Steel reeling with grief,
Randall decides to turn the program upside down – and makes an instant
enemy (and future buddy) in the overconfident trainee, Jake Fischer
(Ashton Kutcher). Costner -
whose-had-more-dips-than-Grant-Hackett - has a line early on in the
movie about it being good to swim with the current, rather than against
it. Funny then that that’s exactly what Costner’s been doing since he
won the golden tallboys for Dances with Wolves (1990) – swimming against the current. From
the moment, the ‘It boy’ of 80s cinema (who can forget his smasheroo
performance, then mostly-unknown, as Elliot Ness in The Untouchables?
Frickin’ gold) got a grasp on that next bar on the ladder, Costner gave
it his indomitable best to go against the grain and do basically, well,
whatever the heck he wanted. He did a $200 million dollar commercial
for SeaWorld (a.k.a Waterworld), followed it up with a bunch of bunch of egocentric westerns (including Wyatt Earp and Open Water)
that not even the local in El Paso could sell out, and obviously
unmindful to the liver spots growing on his neck, he continued filling
the seemingly-hunky romantic lead spot in forgettable rom-coms
like Tin Cup and For the Love of the Game. The biggest gamble of Costner’s career was Dances with Wolves, and whilst that paid off, he should’ve left it at that. Thankfully,
Costner’s now returned to doing what he’s told, and has seemingly put
his ego, and his obsession to resurrect dead genres, back in his
holster. Thank god. Not to say The Guardian
is a gem by any means. It really isn’t. It’s popcorn entertainment in
the purest sense. It’s fluff. It’s predictable. It’s corny. It’s
slicker than solid. But it works. It works for Costner. Andrew Davis, director of such enjoyable pics as Under Siege, The Fugitive and Holes,
knows his way around a good sopping thriller… and exactly when to hit
those buttons. Like his previous films, he has a knack for making an
audience tense, tear-up and - even when some are quite aware
they’re being manipulated. This one, for instance, features a blueprint
as old as the washers in my kitchen tap – quite vintage – and even
Paris Hilton will be predicting the outcome of the film before she’s
even waltzed up to the cashier. Thing is, there’s a place for
entertaining fluff – if there wasn’t, Michael Bay would be a regular at
a soup kitchen – and especially when it’s well done fluff like this.
This has a terrific cast (the supporting cast, including Neal
McDonough, Clancy Brown, Sela Ward and John Heard, are near as good as
the likeable heads), a captivating-enough storyline, and enough bells
and whistles to get your attention. Keep on swimming with the current Costner – it is better to eat, then to not. 3.5
out
of 5 The Guardian
Australian
release: 30th November,
2006
Cast: Kevin Costner, Ashton Kutcher, Neal McDonough, Melissa Sagemiller, Clancy Brown
Director: Andrew Davis
Website: Click
here.
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