In our carefully politically correct world, Sergeant Gerry Boyle (Brendan Gleeson) is a refreshingly cheeky change. Never one to suffer the word “paraplegic” when the word “spastic” will do, The Guard’s Sgt. Boyle is a loose cannon who just happens to work as a law enforcement officer –– specifically, a garda, the Gaelic word for guard. Mr. Gleeson, probably best known to the casual moviegoer as Alastor “Mad-Eye” Moody in the Harry Potter franchise, is a revelation in The Guard.

Apart from the odd joke dropped about the IRA or MI5, McDonagh does little to contextualize his film …