The Guardian

"How do you decide who lives or who dies?"

2006 2h 19m EN

👍

7.1

SOLID

🥫

37%

ROTTEN

😬

METACRITIC

⭐

6.9

IMDB

★7.1TMDB · 1,740🥫37%Rotten Tomatoes●53Metacritic★6.9IMDB · 102,847

ActionAdventureDrama

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

A high school swim champion with a troubled past enrolls in the U.S. Coast Guard's 'A' School, where legendary rescue swimmer Ben Randall teaches him some hard lessons about loss, love, and self-sacrifice.

“How do you decide who lives or who dies?”

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Where to watch · US

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Cast

Kevin Costner
Ben Randall
Ashton Kutcher
Jake Fischer
Sela Ward
Helen Randall
Melissa Sagemiller
Emily Thomas
Dulé Hill
Ken Weatherly
Bryce Cass
Manny
Omari Hardwick
Carl Billings
Clancy Brown
Capt. William Hadley

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Andrew Davis
Writers: Ron L. Brinkerhoff, Norman Thaler
Languages: English
Countries: United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Made its money back 9.5× over at the box office.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

ERA

Did you know

Released 20 years ago.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

CAST

Did you know

243+ people credited in cast and crew — a small city's worth of labour.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Andrew Davis, shot by Stephen St. John. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Trevor Rabin. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Dennis Virkler shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Kevin Costner and Ashton Kutcher and Sela Ward carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "How do you decide who lives or who dies?".

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Andrew Davis directs. Stephen St. John behind the camera. Trevor Rabin scores. Dennis Virkler cuts. Made its budget back several times over at the box office. Produced in United States of America. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Made its money back 9.5× over at the box office.
2Released 20 years ago.
3243+ people credited in cast and crew — a small city's worth of labour.
4Directed by Andrew Davis, shot by Stephen St. John. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
5Original score by Trevor Rabin. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
6Editor Dennis Virkler shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
7Kevin Costner and Ashton Kutcher and Sela Ward carry the top of the cast.
8Marketing tagline: "How do you decide who lives or who dies?".
9IMDB entry: tt0406816 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
10Released under 13 different titles around the world.

The technical file

Cinematography: Stephen St. John
Original score: Trevor Rabin
Editing: Dennis Virkler
Production design: Maher Ahmad
Costume design: Mark Peterson
Makeup / hair: Elle Elliott
VFX supervisor: William Mesa
Sound: Robert L. Sephton
Stunt coordinator: Alex Daniels
Runtime: 139 min · 2h 19m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Budget: $10,000,000
Box office: $94,973,540
Return: 950% of budget
Original language: EN
Certification (US): PG-13
IMDB: The Guardian (2006)
Rotten Tomatoes: 37% 🥫 Rotten
Metacritic: 53/100
IMDB rating: 6.9/10 · 102,847 votes
MPAA: PG-13

Awards

1 win & 4 nominations total

Also by

Andrew Davis

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Wallpaper

Trailers & featurettes

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Community reviews

What people are saying

RalphRahal2025-02-02
★ 5/10
The Guardian starts off strong with an engaging introduction that pulls you into the world of elite rescue swimmers. The setup is solid, and the first act does a great job establishing the stakes. But once the second act kicks in, the momentum slows down as the focus shifts almost entirely to training sequences. While these moments have some depth and character development, they drag on too long, making the story feel repetitive. The plot itself follows a familiar formula, and while it has emotional weight, it doesn’t bring much originality. It feels like it’s trying to be Top Gun for the Coast Guard but without the same energy or unpredictability. That said, the movie is well-executed on a technical level. The cinematography captures the intensity of ocean rescues with some visually striking sequences. The direction is solid, and the pacing is decent. Kevin Costner and Ashton Kutcher both deliver strong performances, with Costner bringing a grounded, believable presence to his role. The script is good overall, even if some parts feel a bit too by-the-numbers. The score and sound design do their job well, adding tension and emotion where needed. It’s a well-made movie, but the plot didn’t fully deliver for me.
CinemaSerf2025-04-28
★ 6/10
Kevin Costner is "Randall", a veteran coast guard life saver who is given a training assignment after an attempted rescue doesn't quite go to plan. Reluctantly, he has to lick a bunch of new recruits into shape and, of course, there is one "Jake" (Ashton Kutcher) - a cocky, self-assured school swimming star for him to groom. Snag is - there is simply nothing at all new with the narrative. Were know exactly how their relationship is going to track, and though the ending is a little left field, for the most part this is all just a bit so what. They both have their demons, they both have that grit and determination never to fail, yada yada.... Kutcher is easy enough on the eye in a wet T-shirt, and on the face of it the film does illustrate a little of the strenuous training that being in the US Coast Guard requires; but for the most part this is just an unremarkable effort all round.