When a 'job' goes drastically wrong for two hitmen sent to kill a priest, the two hitmen in question, Ken and Ray, are sent off by their mobster boss Harry to camp out in a hotel in Bruges until the chaos has blown over. Ken (Brendan Gleeson) decides to take the opportunity to soak up the culture in this 'fairytale' city, but Ray (Colin Farrell) is less impressed with being dragged around Bruges tourist attractions, declaring Bruges a 'shithole'. However, when they come across a film set with a rather attractive crew member, Ray decides that maybe there is something worth seeing in Bruges after all. However, while Ray is out on his date, Ken receives a phone call from Harry with a set of instructions he is not prepared for...
All in all, this doesn't sound like the most action packed film you've ever seen, and those looking for thrills and spills and car chases would be advised to steer clear. What makes this film so perfect is the perfect blend of dark humour and tragedy and
the skill in which it is all drawn together by British scriptwriter and director Martin McDonagh. Formerly a playwright, McDonagh brings a quick Irish wit to the script, which is darkly humourous, at times shamelessly un-PC and offensive, but always bringing a wry smile to your face. Although the film's plot is somewhat slow to get going, from the opening sentence I was completely drawn into the film as it is exactly my dark sense of humour. Thrown into the un-PC script are a real of four letter words, jibes at overweight Americans off to walk up to the top of the bell tower (good luck on that one!), a racist dwarf who introduces Ken and Ray to the delights of horse tranquillizers and prostitutes (and is responsible for setting up the film's best line - "Two manky hookers and a racist dwarf? I'm off home!") and a fight in a restaurant that will leave you questioning whether it's morally acceptable to hit a woman if she is armed with a bottle. Despite the offensiveness of the script, it is somehow delivered with a lot of charm and humour!
Brendan Gleeson and Colin Farrell play the odd couple combination well, each playing off the other. Both characters are very well drawn and manage to engage the audience's sympathy despite their violent occupations. I've always thought a lot of Gleeson as an actor - he has an underlying sadness behind the eyes that always moves me and it works very well here. I've never been much of a Colin Farrell fan in the past, finding him rather annoying and having made some poor film choices, but here he has the perfect Irish cheeky chappy charm to allow the audience to warm to him, and it is clear he has a child-like mind and logic which is bizarrely endearing. In Bruges proves that when Farrell is given the right material, he's actually a far better actor than he's often given credit for.
Added to the mix is Ralph Fiennes playing against type as a Guy Ritchie style London gangster, full of foul language down the telephone but perhaps less threatening in person (after all, it's hard to take The English Patient seriously as a gangster!)
The cobbled streets, bridges and canals of Bruges create a beautiful backdrop and the film is beautifully shot, really making the most of the fairytale location. Despite the jibes about the dullness of Bruges, it is clear that McDonagh finds it a beautiful city.
I loved the little touches that would probably slip by unnoticed - things like the use of Schuberts Der Leiermann, the final song from arguably the most depressing song cycle ever written, Winterreise, which plays as Ken walks through the empty streets of early morning Bruges. Der Leiermann uses the themes of loneliness and death - a perfect accompaniment to In Bruges.
Der Leiermann is also noted for its unfinished feel, and perhaps my only criticism of In Bruges is that the increasingly surreal ending felt just a little too contrived and all of the ends tied up a little too neatly. However, for me, that's a very small criticism that doesn't detract from a film that was the most enjoyable film I've seen in a long time. It's already gained a cult fanbase, unsurprising given it's distinctly un-Hollywood feel, and I would recommend it for anyone who enjoys black humour. Thriller, comedy, drama - this has it all and yet somehow doesn't fit neatly into any of these genres. Highly recommended for anyone who loves film that sits outside the box.
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Production Year: 1995 - Drama - Director: Pat O'Connor - Original Language: English - Classification: 12 years and over, 15 years and over - Starring: Geraldine O'Rawe, Colin Firth, Saffron Burrows, Minnie Driver, Chris O'Donnell
Production Year: 2004 - Drama - Director: Nick Cassavetes - Original Language: English - Classification: 15 years and over, 12 years and over - Starring: Rachel McAdams, Ryan Gosling, Gena Rowlands
Drama - Original Language: English - Classification: 12 years and over - Starring: Shelagh Fraser, Barbara Flynn, Keith Drinkel, Felicity Kendal, Pam Ferris, Colin Douglas
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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Review of In Bruges (DVD)
![In Bruges [DVD] [2008]](http://picnicb.ciao.com/uk/79571783.jpg "In Bruges [DVD] [2008]")
Apr 20th, 2009
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