Tanya Batson-Savage, Freelance Writer

Ashton Kutcher (left) Clancy Brown (centre) and Kevin Costner in 'The Guardian'. - Contributed

No one loves a man in uniform, even if it's a wetsuit, more than Hollywood. From firefighters to the police, the navy and the marines have all had their shot at the spotlight as Hollywood continues its affair with valiance. The Guardian provides the latest rendezvous by taking a look at the Coastguard.

The Guardian is directed by Andrew Davis and written by Ron L. Brinkerhoff. It has much in common with other armed forces training flicks that have gone before it. As such, if one has watched either Top Gun or An Officer and a Gentleman, one already has a pretty fair idea what the movie is about.

Fortunately, The Guardian is able to tread water and so holds its own against its predecessors. It is both entertaining and engaging, offering a combination of drama, action and a touch of romance, though that element is possibly the weakest link.

The flick stars Kevin Costner as Ben Randall, a legendary swimmer in the Coastguard, who takes on a teaching mission at 'A school' where it becomes his job to train the new batch of trainees, and either teach them to save lives or save them from themselves. Randall must move beyond his own reluctance over the teaching mission as well as battle his own demons.

Well-executed dive

With the trouncing that he received from critics in the United States after Water World, it is quite amazing that Kevin Costner jumped back into water again. He is now without gills, but once again in the water with The Guardian which, fortunately for him, is a well-executed dive.

Ashton Kutcher, trying to offer something other than cute and stupid (the hallmarks by which he got he got his career off the ground), plays Costner's co-star. Kutcher is Jake Fisher, a cocky young swimmer who needs to learn to look beyond his self-centredness to truly fulfil his potential. Kutcher's character is quite similar to Cruise's in Top Gun and in truth Kutcher, who has cute and charming down pat, manages to look like a taller Tom Cruise.

More substance than usual

The Guardian manages to distinguish itself through Costner's character, which offers more substance than the usual trainer role. Though he has managed to save many lives, his own - or rather his marriage - lies in tatters and he seems incapable to of making the decision that will save it.

Sela Ward, who merely has to show up to deliver an engaging performance, plays his wife Helen. Interestingly, despite all the other characters speckled along this movie, The Guardian is largely a two-hander. Most of the other characters are barely sketched in and are clearly there to add substance to the dialogue or increase the body count.

So though Clancy Brown is in this flick, the fantastic performances he delivered in The Shawshank Redemption or Carnivale are nowhere in sight, as The Guardian leaves no room for it.

Nonetheless, The Guardian does more than hold water.

It floats.