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The Guardian

Play trailer Poster for The Guardian PG-13 2006 2h 19m Drama Action Play Trailer Watchlist
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37% Tomatometer 149 Reviews 80% Popcornmeter 250,000+ Ratings
A Coast Guard rescue swimmer (Kevin Costner), who still mourns losing his crew in a fatal accident, copes by dedicating his life to training new recruits, so when he meets swimming champion Jake Fischer (Ashton Kutcher), he molds the cocky young man into his protégé and takes him on a mission in the dangerous waters of the Bering Strait.

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The Guardian

The Guardian

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Critics Consensus

The Coast Guard gets its chance for a heroic movie tribute, but The Guardian does it no justice, borrowing cliche after cliche from other (and better) military branch movies.

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Critics Reviews

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Brian Tallerico UGO Screenwriter's Voice 03/24/2007
Will definitely rescue some moviegoers from the post-summer doldrums, but someone should have told Davis that there's going to be casualities if he leaves audiences in the water that long. Go to Full Review Stephanie Zacharek Salon.com 09/29/2006
Kutcher and Costner have a kind of visual chemistry that's just as elusive as the other kind. And the connection and contrast between them remind us that Hollywood isn't as forgiving of older male actors as we like to think. Go to Full Review Scott Bowles USA Today 09/29/2006
2/4
Kutcher may soon be ready to anchor a Hollywood sea voyage. But for now, he's still a touch out of his depth. Go to Full Review Richard Propes TheIndependentCritic.com 09/09/2020
2.0/4.0
A simple, predictable, and formulaic action flick. Go to Full Review VyceVictus Lewton Bus 02/06/2020
The Guardian is ultimately a by the numbers movie that failed to hit big at the box office, seemingly lost to time. Various elements seem dated or unintentionally hilarious. Go to Full Review Debbie Lynn Elias Behind The Lens 11/06/2019
When I left the theater, it was with not only newfound knowledge and respect for the men and women of our Coast Guard, but with a wave of excitement from the sheer excellence and entertainment of the film. Go to Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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Nikolai V @RayBanMan Jan 17 While I did not necessarily love this film, Kevin Costner and Ashton Kutcher have an undeniably strong mentor—mentee dynamic that gives it incredible heart. Ashton does a solid job of portraying an over-confident misguided young cadet who is more self-interested than in supporting his team or saving people. Kevin Costner does a great job of playing the role of a man that has dedicated his life to saving people and is haunted by the ones he could not save. While certain parts of the film were obvious and a little too obvious at that, I do think the film was worth the watch. It highlights an area of theUS military I was not familiar with— the Coast Guard. And, while It likely "hollywood-ed" what actually happens in that branch, it will was still nice to see it on film with a powerful transformation story behind it. Why it only got 3.5 stars from me was because of the dialogue (writers fault) and what I perceived as Ashtons weak emotional acting. Still worth a watch! See more gerald h @RottenGary Dec 17 Dumbo US hero crap for the simple minded. See more thiago s @Thiagostone Nov 20 Filme fraco, o roteiro é fraco, as cenas são fracas, a história é fraca, o elenco é fraco, e ninguém ajuda a melhorar o filme, os personagens são fracos, e o filme deveria ter cenas bem melhores e relevantes, para fazer o filme ser bom See more Mark F. @Fischer Aug 13 It is and absolutely fantastic movie of our everyday heroes in the coast guard and is 100% worth the watch. See more Tina P. @Justtheirmom Aug 12 This is a great movie! See more Saydi M @RT16401451 Aug 7 This is so good! Good acting and lots of laughs See more Read all reviews
The Guardian

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Cast & Crew

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Andrew Davis

Director

Kevin Costner

Ben Randall

Ashton Kutcher

Jake Fischer

Sela Ward

Helen Randall

Melissa Sagemiller

Emily Thomas

Clancy Brown

Capt. William Hadley

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The Guardian

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Movie Info

Synopsis A Coast Guard rescue swimmer (Kevin Costner), who still mourns losing his crew in a fatal accident, copes by dedicating his life to training new recruits, so when he meets swimming champion Jake Fischer (Ashton Kutcher), he molds the cocky young man into his protégé and takes him on a mission in the dangerous waters of the Bering Strait.
Director
Andrew Davis
Producer
Beau Flynn, Tripp Vinson
Screenwriter
Ron L. Brinkerhoff, James Vanderbilt
Distributor
Buena Vista
Production Co
Eyetronics, Beacon Pictures, Touchstone Pictures, Firm Films, Contrafilm, A School Productions
Rating
PG-13 (Intense Sequences of Action|Brief Strong Language|Peril|Some Sensuality)
Genre
Drama, Action
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Sep 29, 2006, Wide
Release Date (Streaming)
Jan 1, 2014
Box Office (Gross USA)
$55.0M
Runtime
2h 19m
Sound Mix
SDDS, Dolby Digital, DTS, Dolby SRD
Aspect Ratio
Flat (1.85:1)