There's a new McDonagh in town and he's taking no prisoners. This week Irish film industry heads wear amazed by the strong performance at the box office of John Michael McDonagh's (brother of the famous playwright Martin McDonagh) new film The Guard.

With a weekend gross of more than half a million Euro, easily knocking 'Bridesmaids' from the coveted number one spot, McDonagh’s jet black comedy thriller is being compared to other hugely successful Irish films such as 'Michael Collins' and brother Marin's'In Bruges.'

To sweeten an already banner weekend the film picked up the Best Irish Feature award at the Galway Film Festival on Saturday.
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The Guard features a bravura performance from Brendan Gleeson as an unorthodox Irish policeman joining forces with the straitlaced FBI agentplayed by Don Cheadle.

The two men tackle an international drug-smuggling gang with humor and a near certain death wish. As Sergeant Gerry Boyle, Gleeson plays a small-town cop with a surprisingly strong moral code.

The scene is set for a gunslinging show down where McDonagh crosses Pulp Fiction with Glenroe.