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# The Guardian (2006)
- URL: https://www.bensmovieguide.com/the-guardian-2006/
- Published: 2026-09-23T10:45:47.000Z
- Updated: 2026-09-23T10:45:47.000Z
- Description: Kevin Costner trains Ashton Kutcher for one of the toughest jobs imaginable in this old-school rescue drama that knows exactly what it is.
- Author: Ben
- Tags: #movie, #title-only, Title: The Guardian (2006), 2000s, Year: 2006, action, drama, Rating: PG-13, #Runtime: 139, #Verdict: Watch, #Eyebrow: Someone Has to Go In

There are some jobs where a bad day at work means a missed deadline.

For Coast Guard rescue swimmers, it can mean somebody doesn’t come home.

Kevin Costner plays Ben Randall, a veteran rescue swimmer who has spent his career going into the kind of conditions everyone else is desperately trying to escape.

After a devastating accident, he’s sent to train new recruits, including Jake Fischer, a talented but cocky young swimmer played by Ashton Kutcher. Jake thinks ability is enough. 

Randall knows better.

You can probably guess where their relationship is headed, but that doesn’t hurt the movie much. Costner is exactly right for this kind of role, and Kutcher is better than you might expect. The training sequences give their relationship enough time to matter before the rescues start.

*The Guardian* is old-fashioned in the best way: straightforward, emotional and built around people doing an extraordinarily difficult job. It knows exactly what kind of movie it is and delivers.

💡

Predictable? Sure. But Costner, Kutcher and some enormous waves make it work.

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