The Guardian

I saw it when it first came out and never forgot it. I saw it again some years ago and then again tonight. It hasn't lost anything. Great character studies by two great actors with very different ways of looking at their world. It has political and racial and social subtexts that are rarely if ever handled so directly and the whole thing has a tense realistic vibe. It poses as many questions as it answers, more about who the guardian is, then what he does. This was unusually good for 1984 TV and amazingly better, to me, then the stuff made now. It's an above average movie by any standard.

First off saw this when I was "10" it was burned into my memory, Second Louis Gossett jr. & Martin Sheen played there roles with precision, Third L. G. J.'s character resonates in the current time period a no nonsense individual willing too maintain order, the character was not apologetic about his methods. "The Guardian" is a forgotten gem of it's genre.

Morally complex telemovie with 2 fine lead performances! Is surprisingly gritty and atmospheric and has a really potent and unpredictable ending. Underrated gem.

I would stay home if they showed quality like this all the time.But

thats asking for a lot.Well acted- dilemma of giving up your

freedom and pride, paying a big price for " big brother" protection a

good analogy of government and citizens.

Alongside DEADLY VOYAGE this is one of the best films ever to have been made for television . THE GUARDIAN stars Sheen as a white bleeding heart liberal and Gossett Jr as a black draconian fascistic security guard and it`s no coincidence that these two people are written this way or that one`s black and one`s white . Indeed it`s central to the subtext and character arcs . Best part is the climax when Sheen - who goes slightly OTT in this scene , and that`s by no means a criticism - realises that he has to " Geddit up " . If you`re wondering why he doesn`t want to " Geddit up " then you`ll just have to watch this great TVM . You won`t be disappointed