History Film / TheGuardian2006

* TheAce: Jake.
* TheAtoner: Randall [[spoiler: and Jake turns out to be this as well]].
* BadassBoast: Jake makes one after the A-School CO gives his speech. Who then retorts that the record holder was [[RightBehindMe standing at the back of the room.]]

--> '''Maggie:''' "Dislocated his shoulder, tore every ligament in his arm, but he saved that guy's life. You break ''that'' record, you give me a call."

--> '''Randall:''' You have a gift Jake, you're the best swimmer to come through this program hands down by-far, you have a whole record board to prove it. You know what I see when I look at it? I see someone fast enough who's going to get there ''first''. I see someone strong enough who's gonna ''last.'' I see someone who can save a life that maybe no-one else could. You really wanna honor the initials on your arm? Then honor your '''''gift'''''. Save the ones you can Jake, the rest... you gotta let go.
* BarBrawl: Fischer and Hodge get into one with some Navy guys.

* CynicalMentor: Randall.

* HeroicSacrifice: Seeing that the cabling pulling them up is about to snap, [[spoiler: Randall decides to sacrifice himself to save Jake]]. Jake is so distraught over this, that he wants to jump back in to get him, only stopping when the Crew Chief points out that if he did, there was no coming back.
--> '''Crew Chief:''' [[spoiler: If I do, you don't come back! I can't! I can't lose two!"]]

* InterserviceRivalry: The Navy guys are portrayed as being {{Jerk Ass}}es to Jake and his buddies for no real reason besides this, leading to the aforementioned BarBrawl.

* SurvivorGuilt: Randall was the only one to come back from a rescue gone wrong.

* TrainingFromHell: Half the class is washed out in the first month.
* WellDoneSonGuy: Jake finally gets this from Randall.

[[NamesTheSame Not to be confused]] with the [[UsefulNotes/BritishNewspapers British newspaper.]] Or the series Simon Baker was in before he was ''Series/TheMentalist''. Or the 1990 [[Film/TheGuardian1990 horror film of the same name]].

After this, he is sent for some slower paced work training the next generation of rescue swimmers at the AST. There he throws out the usual training regimen in favor of a more practical curriculum, and very strict standards of performance. Here he meets Jake Fischer, a young swimming champ, who declares his intention to break all Randall's records. This starts a sort of rivalry between them, with Fischer trying to impress Randall, and Randall trying to get Fischer to quit or reveal the real reason he's in A-School. Eventually, they both realize that the other is being tormented by demons similar to his own, and that they are not that different after all.

** This turns out to be the reason why [[spoiler: Randall assigns Jake to Coast Guard Air Station Kodiak.]] Someone with Jakes swimming ability is perfectly suited for the single most dangerous stretch of sea in North America, where dozens of ships are lost each month.

* HeroicSacrifice: Seeing that the cabling pulling them up is about to snap, [[spoiler: Randall decides to sacrifice himself to save Jake. ]] Jake is so distraught over this, that he wanted to jump back in to get him, only stopping when the Crew Chief points out that if he did, there was no coming back.

* CIAEvilFBIGood: A military version, with the Coast Guard being good, and the Navy being baddies, but only for barroom brawl purposes.

* DefiniteArticleTitle

After this, he is sent for some slower paced work training the next generation of rescue swimmers at the AST. There he throws out the usual training regimen in favor of a more practical curriculum, and very strict standards of performance. Here he meets Jake Fischer, a young swimming champ, who declares his intention to break all Randall's records. This starts a sort of rivalry between them, with Fischer trying to impress Randall, and Randall trying to get Fischer to quit or reveal the real reason he's in A-School. Eventually, they both realize that the other is being tormented by demons similar to his own, and that they are NotSoDifferent after all.

A 2006 film starring Creator/KevinCostner and Creator/AshtonKutcher, that centers around Coast Guard Aviation Survival Technicians, or rescue swimmers

* TheTheTitle

-->''There is a legend of a man who lives beneath the sea. He is the fisher of men, the last hope of all those who have been left behind...they call him [[TitleDrop The Guardian]]. ''

* CIAEvilFBIGood: A military version, with the Coast Guard being good, and the Navy being baddies.

* CIAEvilFBIGood: A military version, with the Coast Guard being good, and the Navy being baddies.