Imagine a rebel wearing aviator sunglasses who is fighting his past in one of the best military training institutions in America, what comes to mind? If you said “Top Gun,” you would be wrong.
Plug in the following, Ashton Kutcher, the US Coast Guard, and lots of water and you have “The Guardian,” the newest film to promote military training as the cool thing to do.
The journey begins with Ben Randall’s (Kevin Costner) troubled life. The loss of his wife and his partner pushes him to take a teaching job at the elite rescue swimmer school. “The Guardian,” even pokes fun at what a stock character Randall is by including a line that his life is a country song.
Then enters Jake Fischer, (Ashton Kutcher) who is the younger version of Randall. In an attempt to escape his troubled past he joins the program. The pitting of Randall vs. Fisher continues, and neither can save themselves. They save others in an attempt to validate their existences.
It doesn’t really matter who wins because not only are they the same character, but both their performances evoke empathy in the audience. Costner does his usual tough-guy-with-a-soft-inside act, which launched his career. Meanwhile, Kutcher grows up from his loveable frat boy image to show that he is ready to take on more challenging roles.
The majority of the film is spent watching Fischer and his classmates go through the equivalent of a “Fear Factor” episode training, which serves just to shock and awe the audience at the amount of pain these people endure just to be able to die for someone else. There is also the minor romance that occurs between Fischer and a local teacher which is supposed to be “just casual,” because he is traveling military and she is a townie. Fischer just can’t let her go and of course it becomes more than casual.
The film really is about a touching relationship between two isolated men who find a connection in their barren existence. The problem is that the film is not successful in its attempt to convey their relationship. “The Guardian,” spends so much time establishing who the characters are individually that it gives very little time to their relationship. When the relationship between Fischer and Randall comes into jeopardy, you’ll find yourself having one of those moments where you know you are supposed to be sad and touched but really you are checking your watch.
Another question the film posses is, “how do you decide who lives or who dies?” This is really a question of is there a God, and if so, do you think fate determines who lives and who dies? This is a huge question for a mainstream box office boom, which is why they just avoid it all together and default to the conventional thinking of sacrificing yourself before others.
So you can sit tight and not worry; there is no thinking involved in “The Guardian.”
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