The film in question is one of the most popular comedies to emerge from Ireland
The film landed Gleeson a Golden Globe nomination(Image: PICSELECT)
A classic Irish comedy starring Brendan Gleeson is airing on TV tonight (Tuesday, June 17) for free across the UK.
The 70-year-old Dublin native is one of Ireland’s most beloved actors, appearing in films popular in his home country and around the world.
Rising to fame as a supporting actor, Gleeson stole the show in films such as Braveheart, Michael Collins. 28 Days Later and Martin Scorsese’s Gangs of New York.
On top of delivering one of the Harry Potter series’ best performances as Mad Eye Mooney, Gleeson has also provided memorable turns in Paddington 2, The Ballad of Buster Scruggs and The Tragedy of Macbeth.
With it clear to any film fan that he was born to be a leading man, Gleeson has proven himself as a movie star in The General, In Bruges, Calvary and Thee Banshees of Inisherin for which he received an Oscar nomination Best Supporting Actor.
Working alongside the likes of Tom Cruise, Joaquin Phoenix, Denzel Washington and Anthony Hopkins, there’s no role that Gleeson can’t take on.
Out of all the movies that Gleeson has appeared in, there’s one that will always deserve to be praised for the rest of his career.
Brendan Gleeson in The Guard(Image: StudioCanal)
Released in 2011, The Guard is an electric buddy cop comedy film written and directed by John Michael McDonagh.
Gleeson plays a devil-may-care Irish police officer who is paired up with Avengers star Don Cheadles’s uptight FBI agent.
Together they must take down a drug cartel that has gotten away one time too many in this foul-mouthed caper that has more heart than you might expect.
Critics were full of praise for The Guard, giving it a staggering score of 94% on Rotten Tomatoes from 134 reviews.
Its consensus reads: “A violent, crackerjack comedy with a strong Irish flavor and an eminently likable Brendan Gleeson in the main role.”
Despite being a small Irish indie film, Gleeson received a Golden GLobe nomination for Best Actor in a Motion Picture Musical or Comedy.
On top of this, the film grossed $21.5 million around the world and holds more of a role in the explosion of Irish film in terms of popularity than most give it credit for.
The Guards airs on Tuesday, June 17, on Film 4 and channel4.com at 11.20pm