The Guard

Pretty much works in spite of itself. It's a good thing that it manages to be pretty restrained, but the storyline isn't particularly all that original, and it has several rough patches along the way. Still, despite how much of a "cliche" it is, the chemistry between Moaadi and Stewart is palpable and they make it emotionally affecting. Both are good, especially Moaadi. I've never thought Stewart was a bad actress (never seen any Twilight film), I've just seen her do the same thing in pretty much all of her performances (On The Road was probably the only time she left her comfort zone). It's not that she's particularly bad at what she does, it just comes off as a limitation. This is her doing the same thing. She's good at it, I'm not sure if the character really needed all that much more, but maybe a better actress still would've brought more to it? She's just not stretching herself here, which maybe isn't a problem. But it's nowhere near a great performance, and Moaadi ultimately fares better.