Prismark10 There is nothing too much original about The Guardian. It is a tale of veteran coast guard Ben Randall (Kevin Costner) who after a tragic rescue operation and a troubled marriage is assigned to train new recruits at coast guard training school.He meets cocky Jake Fischer (Ashton Kutcher) a swimming champion who has joined the coast guard training and who starts a casual relationship with another teacher while in training.At first Ben and Jake do not get along but gradually come to respect each other especially as Jake opens up about his past.The film is just too formulaic, you have seen elements of it in films like Top Gun or Backdraft. Director Andrew Davis excels in the coast guard rescue scenes but too much of the film is choppy.

mattkratz This was a terrific movie and one of my favorite Kevin Costner movies. In a nutshell, it is about training for life in the U.S. Coast Guard. Costner plays a Coast Guard legend, who, after a tragic and traumatic accident at sea, gets assigned to teaching and takes hotshot recruit Ashton Kutcher, who had been a swim champion (and who has a similar incident in his past) under his wing as his protégée. The bulk of the movie deals with the classes, swimming, rescue scenes, and the recruits' going out at night. I thought those scenes were hilarious, especially when Kutcher tries to pick up chicks.I think the best parts of this well-done film were the rescue scenes (which were brilliantly filmed), the character development, the classroom scenes in the pool, and the interactions with Costner and Kutcher. I also loved the legend of "The Guardian. Anyone who loves the stars will love this movie.*** out of ****

blanche-2 We've seen "The Guardian" many times before -- the young turk versus the old, dried up vet. But just because we've seen something done before doesn't mean the same story can't make a good movie.From 2006, The Guardian is the story of Chief Petty Officer Ben Randall (Kevin Costner), a rescue swimmer for the Coast Guard who is still working despite the retirement age of 40. After a horrific rescue situation during which his best friend died, Ben's boss finally gives him a choice - he can teach at a Coast Guard school or retire. He decides to teach. There, he meets a hot shot, Jake Fischer, a top swimmer with scholarship offers from everywhere.There are some absolutely terrifying rescue scenes in this - the power of the ocean is awesome against man - and the scenes take place at night. Scary as all get-out. It really gives one an appreciation for the Coast Guard and the work that they do. This aspect alone makes the film worth it.The dialogue is good, too, and Costner brings a gentle quality to his role. And the point made is good and true: the Coast Guard doesn't get the respect the other military branches get, and they should.The title refers to people drowning claiming to feel a presence helping them survive.You won't forget the rescue scenes. Recommended.

ctomvelu1 Rehash of AN OFFICER stars Kevin Costner as an aging Coast Guard rescue specialist who becomes a trainer, and takes new recruit Ashton Kutcher under his wing. Both have troubled pasts, which they have to sort out in order to move on. Costner is just OK as the weary, haunted careerist, but Kutcher is clearly no Richard Gere. He brings absolutely no depth to his role. Exciting beginning and finale, and mostly boring in between, including the mandatory barroom brawl. Most of the film is taken up with training sequences. At times, this looks like a recruiting film for the Coast Guard. This did not do well at the box office, and I wonder how much of that might have to do with its nondescript title. Or the fact that Costner can no longer "sell" a movie.