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The Guard

2011 · directed by John Michael McDonagh · 96 min
22,725 feet · Prominence
1,623rd of 24,106 films scored
Not coveredNo Rewatchables episode on file.

How this film scores

Draw45

Lifetime worldwide gross $20m, re-releases included; about $29m in 2026 money.

Rank5,321 of 11,051In 2011143 of 304

How Draw works

Inflation-adjusted worldwide box office, on one global curve, and nothing else. It does not know whether a film was good.

Praise87

Awards claim half the headroom above the critics' score.

Critics86 baseAwards16 signal → +1 lift

Golden Globes1 nominated Lead acting
BAFTAs1 nominated Screenplay
How Praise works

Critics set the score; a tiered award record, Picture and Directing carrying the most weight, claims half the headroom above it. Praise is the verdict at the time; Legacy is the verdict since. This film is near critically unanimous and barely registers on awards, so there is little headroom for awards to claim. The score is the critics' verdict, nearly untouched.

Legacy38

Judged directly: Well-liked Irish comedy, small footprint.

Verdict38 of 100IMDb7.3 from 101kWikipedia10k views a monthAge15 years

Scored beside it · 1,899 of 4,039 films judged

If it does not belong in this company, the number is wrong.

How Legacy works

Legacy is a judgment, not a formula. A film can be adored by critics and culturally quiet, or lightly reviewed and permanently lodged in the culture, and no arithmetic over IMDb numbers tells the difference. Every signal behind it keeps updating.

draw 45 praise 87 legacy 38averages 57, placing it at22,725 ft
How the three become one number

Added, not multiplied, so a film transcendent on one pillar and weak on another is not zeroed out. A compression curve then squeezes the top, because the seven greatest films ever made should not be four thousand feet apart.

Whose apex this is

▲ Brendan Gleeson

In these careers — elevation for this film

Brendan Gleeson19,783 ftDon Cheadle18,716 ftMark Strong18,243 ftLiam Cunningham18,152 ftFionnula Flanagan17,631 ftDominique McElligott17,620 ft