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On Guard
Movie

On Guard

1997 • Unknown

Woke Score
1.4
out of 10

Plot

France, 17th century, during the reign of Louis XIII. When a dear friend, the Duke of Nevers, is treacherously assassinated by a powerful relative, a skilled swordsman, the noble Henri de Lagardère, seeks his rightful vengeance as he tries to protect the innocent life of the duke's last heir.

Overall Series Review

On Guard (Le Bossu) is a classic French swashbuckler set in the opulent 17th century that adheres strictly to the genre's traditional storytelling. The narrative is driven by the heroic swordsman Henri de Lagardère's loyalty to his assassinated friend, the Duke of Nevers, and his sworn duty to protect and raise the Duke's infant daughter, Aurore. The film follows Lagardère’s decade-long quest for vengeance against the treacherous Count Gonzague, an insidious villain motivated purely by greed and aristocratic ambition. Themes of honor, fatherhood, justice, and the restoration of a rightful legacy form the core of the plot. The movie is praised for its old-fashioned charm, elaborate period detail, thrilling sword fights, and a focus on merit—Lagardère, though of humble origin, earns his respect and place through skill and virtue. There is a complete absence of modern political lecturing, focusing instead on universal concepts of good versus evil and individual sacrifice for a greater, honorable cause. The film celebrates the historical setting and its institutions without self-hatred.

Categorical Breakdown

Identity Politics1/10

Characters are defined entirely by their personal honor, skill, and moral choices. Lagardère is a man of humble origins whose merit as a swordsman earns him the respect of the Duke, demonstrating a universal meritocracy. The villain is a white male aristocrat driven by self-serving greed, while the hero is also a white male who upholds justice, preventing any vilification of "whiteness" or reliance on an intersectional lens. The conflict is between good and evil individuals, not racial or social groups.

Oikophobia1/10

The movie is a lavish, celebratory homage to the French swashbuckler tradition, set against a beautifully rendered and respected 17th-century backdrop. The core plot is about restoring a noble family's rightful line and inheritance, an act of historical preservation and loyalty. The Western home culture (17th-century France) is not framed as fundamentally corrupt; the evil is contained within the individual villain, Count Gonzague, not the civilization itself.

Feminism2/10

The main action revolves around the male hero's protective duty toward the child, Aurore, a vital female character who grows into a spirited young woman. The story celebrates the bond of fatherhood and the importance of a rightful family lineage. Aurore is a spunky heroine, but her role is complementary and she is a daughter who needs her guardian to restore her birthright, not a perfect, instantly capable 'Girl Boss' who emasculates the male hero. Motherhood, in the context of the Duke and Blanche, is the catalyst for the entire honorable duty.

LGBTQ+1/10

The narrative centers on a traditional male-female pairing (Lagardère eventually falls in love with the grown Aurore) and the protection of the nuclear family's lineage, even though the child was born out of wedlock before the Duke’s intended marriage. Sexual ideology is not present as a theme, and the structure of the traditional family is affirmed as the standard that must be protected and restored. There is no deconstruction of the nuclear family.

Anti-Theism2/10

The primary themes are transcendent in nature: honor, loyalty, justice, and duty. These concepts reflect a higher moral law guiding the hero's actions. While not overtly religious, there is no hostility toward religion, nor are faith or Christian characters depicted as villains or bigoted figures. The conflict is purely secular, focused on power and wealth, leaving the moral and spiritual framework intact.