The Guardian is more or less a retread of basic-training movies, only instead of Tom Cruise as the cocky young hot shot, we get Ashton Kutcher, whose lunkhead charm is still better suited to Dude, Where's My Car? than anything this sober. Kevin Costner plays his older foil; fortunately, like William Holden, age and experience have rid Costner of his former stiffness and he has become rather engaging.
Ben Randall (Costner) is a rescue swimmer in Kodiak, Alaska, who jumps out of helicopters and snatches hapless mariners from the sea's clutches. After an on-the-job accident, he reluctantly accepts a teaching job at the academy. That's where he meets Jake (Kutcher), a former high school swimming champion with a dark past of his own.
Director Davis once excelled at making bang-up B-pictures like Code of Silence and Above the Law. Under Siege and The Fugitive earned him a slot on the A-list, where he has never really been at home. Still, he fills out The Guardian with a few clear, exciting rescue scenes.
But not even Davis can save the movie from its 136 interminable minutes and half a dozen endings; it won't risk leaving anything out. The movie sets up lengthy back stories for both characters, outlining their various triumphs and tragedies so that we'll fully comprehend their behavior (as if other films in this genre wouldn't fill in the blanks). Nonetheless, the talent involved provides a few splashes of life—it's not entirely dead in the water.