MPAA Rating: R (For Pervasive Language, Some Violence, Drug Material and Sexual Content)

Running Time: 96 Minutes

Starring: Brendan Gleeson, Don Cheadle, Mark Strong, Liam Cunningham, Fionnula Flanagan

Written and Directed by: John Michael McDonagh

Studio: Sony

Retail Price: $28.95

Features: Audio Commentary with Writer/Director John Michael McDonagh, Brendan Gleeson and Don Cheadle, The Making of The Guard, Q&A with John Michael McDonagh, Brendan Gleeson and Don Cheadle, The Second Death Short Film, Outtakes, Deleted Scenes, Extended Scenes, Theatrical Trailer

Specs: 2.35:1 Anamorphic Widescreen, English Dolby Digital 5.1, English Subtitles, Spanish Subtitles, Portuguese Subtitles, Scene Selection (28 Scenes)

Released: January 3rd, 2012

"The Guard" is presented in 2.35:1 anamorphic widescreen, in what amounts to a very nice transfer. The exterior scenes have a textured, encompassing feel to them that goes a long way in capturing the locales, while moments that occur in ordinary locations look fairly refined. Color saturation is well balanced, while black levels are strong to boot. Fleshtones appear nearly flawless, and best of all is the detail — there's a lot you can notice here, even in standard defnition. The picture quality is fairly sharp. In all, this is an excellent transfer.

"The Guard" is given a fairly engaging English Dolby Digital 5.1 mix. The track, of course, stands out when there's plenty of action: guns discretely roar, and the movie's climax is especially lively. Such moments have terrific dynamic range, strong imaging and make good use of the channels. The other elements that come into play are just as solid: the Calexico musical score has energy and is mixed well, while dialogue is clear and crisp — right down to the thick brogues. In all, more than suitable given the film's content.

Subtitles in English, Spanish and Portuguese are included.

There's a nice set of extras to be found on the disc. First up is an Audio Commentary with Writer/Director John Michael McDonagh, Brendan Gleeson and Don Cheadle. This is a fairly freewheeling track, as the trio clearly had a good time making the movie and developed a nice rapport. McDonagh does not get too technical here. Instead, it's really the three poking fun at themselves and sharing anecdotes from the set. If you enjoyed the movie, and want more of the spirit behind it, then you should find this commentary fairly entertaining. 

Also included is a Q&A with John Michael McDonagh, Brendan Gleeson and Don Cheadle, which runs about 18 minutes. It covers some ground not featured in the commentary, but otherwise, it's a fairly straightforward session about the film and its production. 

The Making of The Guard runs about 19 minutes, and is a pretty amusing look at the making of the movie, filled with interviews and on-set footage. In keeping with the comedic tone, the interviews come off as fairly light, which results in some inspired bits and not the standard talking head interviews where actors/crew members hit main points in order to "sell" the movie. I won't ruin Cheadle's highlight here, but seriously, is there anything the man can't do?

The Second Death is a short film by McDonagh, and well worth watching — especially as it acts as a bit of genesis to his feature. There are 3 minutes worth of Outtakes, 3 Deleted Scenes and 12 Extended/Alternate Scenes. The cut/alternate material totals to be about 25 minutes, and don't add much to the proceedings. In fact, a lot of the "alternate" scenes are really ever-so slight extensions or differentiations of what is in the final cut.

"The Guard" is a fairly charming, even lovable, dark comedy that makes the most of its standard fish-out-of-water conventions — largely due to writer/director John Michael McDonagh's sharp writing, and the excellent performances from (Golden Globe nominee) Brendan Gleeson and Don Cheadle. 

The DVD itself is just as winning, with a very fine presentation of the movie, plus some well-rounded extras. Worth a rental for sure, and certainly a buy if you're a fan of the movie. (A Blu-ray version is also available.)