director - martin Mcdonagh ken - brendan gleeson ray – colin farrell rhloe - clemence poesy jimmy jordan prentice harry ralph fiennes
this film was martin mcdonagh's first film, though he had previously made a short film called ‘six shooter's’ a few years earlier. i remember seeing six shooters on film four, and it would not surprise me to see this film one day on the same channel.
the structures of these two films are similar, the plots are known fairly quickly and the acting is really good. using trains and train platform scenes also took place in both films. the one thing i question is the originality of in bruges as crime and shooting films are nothing new.
set in bruges, a picturesque medieval town in Belgium. during the film we get to see the canals, the views of some of the streets, a museum, buildings, the train, a hotel as well as a late evening’s view from the top of a tower.
the plot
two hit men sent to bruges from london. one of them wants to leave Bruges and the other does not mind the place and quite likes it. ray clearly shows his emotions that he does not want to stay two weeks in bruges with Ken. throughout most of the film harry (the evil boss who hires the two assassins), he only joins the film once he discovers that ken has killed a little boy. harry largely communicates via telephone. killing a priest is one thing, though killing a little boy is another story.
film review
early on in the film there is a street play taking place where he notices a dwarf chap called jimmy, and also meets chloe (a gorgeous blonde young woman).
Asides from the moments of sadness, there is suspense and humour in the film. elements of humour can be seen half way through the film, where the barman starts looking at ken, ken says to the worker “got some kind of problem?, the barman replies, “no problem, four beers in twenty minutes, no problem”. that for me is typical dry european humour.
one area i found to be rather dull was in one scene where ken, ray, jimmy the dwarf, chloe, and some prostitutes are all in a hotel room taking cocaine, ken and the dwarf are engaging in some most ridiculous and irrelevant dialogue about themes including prostitutes, height references towards the midget.
some of the characters do have some strange roles and the way in which the openness of the chloe and ken, they have just met each other and all of a sudden they are telling each other their own occupations straightaway is what amazed me most.
this film has a lot of positives in that the variations of the actors roles makes it interesting. the only actor i found to be consistent in acting terms was Jimmy’s use of cussing, insulting, hard talking words. ken is rather a stereotypical older actor, stern faced, and glum, though he is another that can act in this gun man role.
the ending which I will not give away, the killing's seemed to be done based on ethical choice, though it is slightly predictable as to what happens.
conclusion
whilst i found the story to be not that original, i felt that the film is really well acted, provides variation in emotions of sadness, death, guilt, with moments of half funny lines, and some very dark humour. as such i have rated this film four stars as it is a better film compared to the hitman, and also the directors previous shorter effort of ‘six Shooters’. pardon the pun.
the film has a runtime of one hundred and seven minutes, it was previously released at the cinemas during the middle of april two thousand and eight.
recommended: yes
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The considerable pleasures ofIn Brugesbegin with its title, which suggests a glumly ... more
self-important art film but actually fits a rattling-good tale of two Irish gangsters "keepin' a low profile" after a murder gone messily wrong. Bruges, the best-preser...
Postage & Packaging: £1.21 Availability: Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days...
The considerable pleasures ofIn Brugesbegin with its title, which suggests a glumly ... more
self-important art film but actually fits a rattling-good tale of two Irish gangsters "keepin' a low profile" after a murder gone messily wrong. Bruges, the best-preser...
Postage & Packaging: Free! Availability: Usually dispatched within 24 hours...
This stylish black comedy thriller stars Ralph Fiennes as Harry, a vicious London ... more
crime-boss, who send his two hit-men to the picturesque Belgian City of Bruges - To lay low and wait for orders.While Ken (Brendan Theeson) is happy just to sight see!, h...
Advantages: Imaginative story, fantastic dialogue - will make you both laugh and cry! Disadvantages: A bit of a dark film for some - will not cheer you up!
LAURALILIA 12.03.2009 (08.03.2009)
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful
Review of In Bruges (DVD)
Advantages: Imaginative story, fantastic dialogue - will make you both laugh and cry! Disadvantages: A bit of a dark film for some - will not cheer you up!
LAURALILIA 12.03.2009 (08.03.2009)
·
Read review
Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful
Review of In Bruges (DVD)
![In Bruges [DVD] [2008]](http://picnicb.ciao.com/uk/79571783.jpg "In Bruges [DVD] [2008]")
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