In Bruges
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Movie Reviews of In Bruges
Movie Review: A delightful treat...and a big role for the brilliant Brendon Gleeson!
Summary: 5 Stars
Before I start, let me just for a moment sing the praises of Brendan Gleeson, one of the stars of IN BRUGES. Is there a better character actor working in films today? This man elevates everything he's in. Right of the top of my head, I can remember his role as "Mad-Eye Moody" in HARRY POTTER, his touching turn as the father in 28 DAYS LATER and even his law-enforcement role in GANGS OF NEW YORK. Here is a man so at ease in what he does that he usually upstages "big" stars he shares screen time with.
Finally, with IN BRUGES, he has a lead role. And thank goodness it's in a darn good movie. It's the story of two London hit-men who've been sent to the Belgian town of Bruges to lay low for awhile after a hit went wrong. Gleeson is the more experienced of the two, and he's delighted with the town...which he says is the oldest surviving medieval town in Belgium. It DOES seem to be charming and certainly I now would love to visit. Colin Farrell plays the younger of the pair...he's crawling out of his skin with boredom. He could care less for the charm of this town...he wants to go to the pub and drink and meet girls.
Eventually, these two will draw some unwanted attention from their boss Harry (Ralph Fiennes) a psycho of the first order...but one with a lovely family and a strangely strong sense of honor.
The first half of the film takes its time letting us get to know the two leads and to enjoy their banter. Eventually we discovered exactly what went wrong with their job, and the film takes on a deeper texture. It's not really a buddy film...it's a father/son film. Gleeson tries to help Farrell appreciate the world around him more, but he is also bemused by him. He's a gentle soul, who enjoys sightseeing, reading and a nice meal. He's courtly to the pregnant lady who runs the hotel. He's softspoken, and frankly it's hard at first to picture him as a killer. In fact, he seems a bit perplexed to be one.
Farrell is the "hot head," but not in a clichéd way. He's a bit simple, but he's open to learning...a trait he didn't know he had. While he's got a quick tongue and quick fists...he's oddly gentle too. Gleeson sees a soft side in him that even Farrell doesn't acknowledge yet.
There are lots of oddball characters populating the film, including an American dwarf in town to film a movie and an attractive young lady who makes her living robbing tourists...but falls pretty hard for Farrell.
When really come to like these guys, so when Fiennes pops into the picture to really screw things up...our stress level goes up much more than it would in a conventional film of this ilk. While the "chase" scenes are pretty tame...they are also very intense and convincing.
The joy of the film is in the two lead performances, and in their witty banter. Farrell hasn't been this good in a LONG time. He's still the "playboy" but in a convincing, almost shy way that makes him instantly likeable. Gleeson is terrific, as I've said, and he is quite up to the task of carrying the film. He has a great scene when he's on the phone with Fiennes and must convince his boss that he's chased Farrell out of the room...when Farrell was never there in the first place. It's funny but fraught with tension...because you can tell by Gleeson's manner that his quite concerned that he's going to raise murderous ire in the unhinged Harry.
The dialogue is very clever...certainly it's very much a cinematic script, in that no one really talks this way. But everyone chews into their lines with such joy that the audience cannot help but be sucked in. The two leads are clearly enjoying playing off each other...Gleeson gives Farrell so much to work with that they both simply pop with energy.
The film is a little slack in the middle. There's a scene when our two hit men spend time doing some drugs with the dwarf and some female friends that seems pointless and for once, the dialogue feels totally contrived.
And the final scenes, while quite thrilling, require just one or two too many coincidences and chance encounters. That all the main characters suddenly find themselves together in the same spot at the same moment is just a little bit much. But fortunately, the film still plays out quite satisfactorily...and quite brutally.
I had a great time with the unfortunately named IN BRUGES. I can't help but feel that a lot of folks will miss this delightful film because it's title is unpronounceable for so many. It's a shame, because this is easily the best film of early 2008.
Movie Review: Dripping with satisfaction from every nook and cranny...
Summary: 5 Stars
In 2002 we met this up-and-coming actor named Colin Farrell as he stole scenes from the very charismatic Tom Cruise in the sci-fi thriller `Minority Report' (I know that his big break came in 2000 with `Tigerland', but that film did not bring any kind of household name status). The following year Farrell showed up in a slew of box-office big names like `S.W.A.T.', `Daredevil' and `The Recruit', and he showed surprising depth of character development in the underrated and underseen `Phone Booth'. It was 2004 though, that was to bring him into the big leagues; sort of. In 2004, at least in the beginning of the year, he was on the top of everyone's Oscar predictions for he was starring in two very controversial and highly anticipated films. There was the independent `A Home at the End of the World' and the Oliver Stone epic `Alexander. Sadly, both films failed, and while Farrell showed some strength in `Alexander' (I loathed his turn in `A Home at the End of the World') it wasn't nearly enough strength to stand out come Oscar time. Since that fateful year it seems as if Farrell's star has faded.
This brings us to 2008; to be more exact, it brings us to a whole new Farrell.
I had all but given up on Farrell as being a serious actor and actually utilizing the talent I saw in `Phone Booth' when I happened to stumble onto a series of reviews for this little film. I had read raves calling this Farrell's finest performance to date and so the fact that it was a gangster film (of sorts) and took place in Europe (with accompanying accents) and co-starred Ralph Fiennes all factored into me deciding to give it a shot.
Let me just say this now; one of the best films of the year, easily.
`In Bruges' tells the story of two hitmen, Ken and Ray. Ken is older and wiser than Ray. He possesses a certain calmness that comes from confidence and a level of comfort. Ray is young and green, which leads way to fleeting spells of panic and uncertainty. After Ray botches a job (his first at that) the two of them are sent away to a small medieval town (Bruges) to hide out, lay low, until they receive further orders from their boss Harry. While in Bruges the two of them go through levels of self discovery that help shape them into the men they truly desire to be.
Writer/director Martin McDonagh has marvelously crafted a film that both exciting and intelligent. It never sacrifices either for the other. The film is never boring, for it is filled to the brim with action and charisma. Both lead actors (Farrell and Gleeson) compliment one another flawlessly by playing two opposite ends of the spectrum. Gleeson embodies Ken with this paternal warmth that helps add layers of humanity to this contract killer, especially as the film progresses and his true relationship with Ray is revealed. Farrell ditches the paternal warmth for wit and charisma. His portrayal of Ray is so real and natural. We believe his faux performance (Ray's performance is faux; Farrell's performance is genuine). We understand the mask that Ray puts up to hide his own insecurities, and as his past is revealed and his motives are unveiled we crumble for him; and this is only made possible by Farrell's undeniably natural performance. Not one word spoken, not one movement made, not one moment of this performance is sour.
Honestly, so far it's the best performance I've seen this year; by anyone.
`In Bruges' tackles with grace and a fair amount of bloodshed the subjects of loyalty, friendship, morals and ultimately; atonement. This is proof that genre films of this nature (the whole gangster, murder, hitman type genre) don't have to be riddled with plot holes and littered with poor acting. `In Bruges' is brilliantly written and expertly executed. It is not only thought provoking and haunting, but it is witty, charming and quotable (this film is filled to the brim with memorable lines). The acting is marvelous (look also to Ralph Fiennes who has a nasty turn as Harry, as well as Clemence Poesy who serves as Farrell's love interest Chloe) and McDonagh's direction is spot on perfection, taking in the serenity of the city without losing the intensity of the situation. This is a hit on every level that will satisfy any and every film enthusiast.
Movie Review: Black, black comedy about Irish Hit Men
Summary: 5 Stars
Warning: this film may not be for you. The two leading characters are Irish hit men, and their language would shock those shocked by coarse language. There are also essentially no "good guys." In addition to murderers, the film is populated by prostitutes and drug dealers.
But since violent and profane films have become prevalent, I think that they are worth your time, like any film, if they are good. This one is good.
We were invited to a friend's for movie night and the Mrs. didn't care for it. We didn't know what film had been chosen and I think she felt a little blind-sided. As the opening credits showed the writer and director was Martin McDonagh, I was a little prepared for the desperately comic violence that followed. Mr. McDonagh, you see, is the Irish playwright who gave us "The Lieutenant of Inishmore (Student Editions)", a play in which much murder and mayhem follows the death of a cat belonging to a dim, but fearful, Irish terrorist.
Colin Farrell plays Ray and Brendan Gleeson plays Ken. Ray and Ken have been sent to Bruges to hide out after the botched murder of a priest. Ken has been a hit man for years and accepts the baggage that comes with the job. He finds Bruges delightful and at one level the film plays as a magnificent travelogue for the town. In the film it seems as picturesque as Amsterdam or Venice, but with less tourists. Ray is a new hit man, and the botched hit was his fault, and his first job. We can't tell if Ray is jumpy only because of guilt over the bad priest job (as Farrell implies with his acting), or if (as he says) he truly doesn't like Bruges. Ray didn't know much about Bruges before being sent there, Farrell tells us in an f-bomb-laced opening narration. He concludes "It's in Belgium."
While Ken is delightfully taking in the centuries-old architecture, Ray comes along to brood and complain until they come upon a movie in production. Ray is entranced by Chloe, played by Clemence Poesy, a woman working at the edges of the film crew, and he doesn't quite know what to make of American dwarf Jimmy, played by Jordan Prentice. Ray keeps calling Jimmy a midget, and he harbors a grudge against Americans for killing John Lennon.
Ray and Ken work for Harry, who ominously orders them to Bruges in Ray's opening monologue. We know Harry is a darker, more sinister character than our protagonists before he phones Ken with an assignment that gives the usually agreeable Ken grave reservations. McDonagh gradually shows us Harry - played by Ralph Fiennes with full profane fury.
McDonagh's screenplay peppers the proceedings with comic dialogue on subjects such as the morality of being an assassin, ("I have to reconcile that with the fact that yes, I have killed people. Not many people. And most of them were not very nice people. Apart from one person."), diverse views on the pleasures of Bruges ("Ken, I grew up in Dublin. I love Dublin. If I grew up on a farm, and was retarded, Bruges might impress me but I didn't, so it doesn't.") and choice of weapon for assassination ("An Uzi? I'm not from South Central Los Angeles. I didn't come here to shoot twenty black ten year olds in a drive-by. I want a normal gun for a normal person.")
In Bruges is the kind of film where a character can be sent to murder another character and find THAT character about to commit suicide - then finish the scene with the assassin instead sending the other character away on a train. But it is also the kind of film where deadly violence erupts repeatedly, sometimes with ironic and often with comic overtones.
So - if you're in the market for a black comedy about Irish assassins, "In Bruges" fits the bill.
Movie Review: Great movie
Summary: 5 Stars
Anyone making a movie featuring two philosophical hitmen is practically begging to be accused of ripping off Pulp Fiction, but it turns out the similarities between In Bruges and Quentin Tarantino's most famous work pretty much end there. Where the work of the likes of Tarantino or Guy Ritchie (not to mention the recent Frank Miller adaptations) tends to emphasize style over substance (not always a bad thing, of course), In Bruges inverts the usual formula by using style to enhance substance. It's got all the clever dialogue and unflinching violence you'd expect from a postmodern gangster film, but it's accompanied by a level of emotional depth and a view of friendship that wouldn't be out of place in a Wes Anderson movie. Few films in recent memory (Shaun of the Dead being one recent example) have played this effectively with tone, as the movie effortlessly incorporates action, comedy, and drama, with some heavy philosophizing thrown in for good measure. It's funny without pandering, dramatic without any histrionics, and sentimental without getting sappy. The understated direction of writer-director Martin McDonagh suits the unusually quaint setting well, and his twist-laden plot ends up incorporating the aforementioned hitmen, a family of grossly overweight American tourists, a belligerent Canadian couple, a smoking-hot drug dealer and her skinhead ex-boyfriend/partner in crime, and a degenerate, possibly racist American dwarf actor. There's also some nice dwarf-related humor, which is always good to see.
Oddly, for a movie this distinctive, the plot initially doesn't seem like much of a departure from Gangster Movie Central: after a hit gone wrong (the details of which emerge pretty early in the film) British hitmen Ray and Ken (Colin Farrell and Brendan Gleeson) are sent to the medieval Belgian town of Bruges for a cooling-off period by their psychotic boss Harry. The setting initially provides a source for some nice fish-out-of-water comedy (as well as a few not-so-subtle digs at Western tourists), but it's not long before the movie takes a turn into a more meditative, violent (though still frequently funny) direction. McDonagh's offbeat approach is best exemplified by a simple conversation scene between Ray and Ken around the midway point, which segues smoothly from an earnest meditation on belief and morality to a hilarious speculation on why a middle-aged lollypop man would know Karate, with Farrell and Gleason maintaining their straight faces all the way through. Some other scenes start to border on the surreal (particularly a coke binge with the dwarf and a few prostitutes), but the movie still manages to maintain its intelligence and solid characterizations througout. I didn't think I'd ever catch myself writing this, but Colin Farrell turns in a brilliant, multilayered performance as the potentially suicidal Ray, whose jokey, sardonic exterior barely manages to conceal the guilt raging beneath. The ever-reliable Brendan Gleeson is similiarly excellent as Ken, who initially appears to be little more than an older-and-wiser straight-man type but eventually emerges as a strong, loyal character in his own right. In the other principal role, Ralph Fiennes really seems to be enjoying himself as Harry, the outrageously profane and menacing(though strangely principled) gang leader.
Overall, I can't find much about In Bruges to complain about. It's well-paced and sharply-written, it's got great central performances and some nice violent set pieces towards the end, and it all wraps up without overstaying its welcome. I haven't seen many movies recently that rank high on the rewatchability scale, but this one's going to end up getting several repeat viewings. Five stars, easy.
Movie Review: Sick, twisted, wrong, and made of awesome.
Summary: 5 Stars
In Bruges (Martin McDonagh, 2008)
There comes a point in certain movies where you start to understand how all the seemingly disparate pieces of plot, character, and setting come together. In general, when you're dealing with a mystery/thriller, the best time for this to happen is as close to the final frame as possible. Think, for example, of the shock of revelation in the final two minutes of the best modern example, The Usual Suspects. The master of this sort of thing when it comes to stage productions is Martin McDonagh, whose The Pillowman may be the single finest play of the past thirty years. The interesting thing to note here is that when you're dealing with a mystery/thriller in formats other than the screen, the genre's best works often put that moment of revelation much earlier, as is the case in The Pillowman (or, in the world of the novel, Graham Greene's The End of the Affair). McDonagh, however, knows the difference between stage and screen. Which is kind of rare in and of itself.
In Bruges is a story about two hit men, Ray (Colin Farrell) and Ken (Brendan Gleeson), who are instructed by their boss, Harry (Ralph Fiennes), to take a couple of weeks off and go see the sights in Bruges, a medieval Belgian town. Young, impetuous Ray can't stand the place from the moment he steps off the train; older, easier-going Ken is enchanted by the architecture (though not so much the tourists), but in the back of his head, he's wondering why the boss sent them here, of all places; talking it over in the pub, the two come to the conclusion there's a job to be done here, and the boss just hasn't told them what it is yet.
That's about all I can tell you about the plot, for in true McDonagh style, mini-revelations start popping up pretty early on. You don't really need to focus on the plot, though, to have a lot of fun with this film, which despite being a pretty straight thriller is laced with all kinds of dark, absurd comedy. In fact, it sets itself up to be a character study of Ray, and so we expect in the back of our heads that, as with most character studies of this type, the plot is going to take a back seat to quirky characters anyway. (And this is one of those times when I catch another facet of the brilliance of a movie when I'm sitting here writing the review instead of while I was watching the flick.) That never really happens; the character-sketch aspects of this movie are very well-balanced with the plot aspects. We in the western film world are well-used to seeing basically plotless character sketches or plot-heavy films with cardboard cutouts in place of actual characters. Even when you do get a plot-heavy script that's got three-dimensional characters in it, it's still a plot-heavy script. McDonagh strikes a very fine balance here, and while his foot does slip occasionally, most of the time when you think this has devolved into a character sketch, you're wrong. McDonagh just hasn't thrown the right pieces at you yet for it to all make sense. (And despite what it may sound like, I'm certainly not saying these scenes can't simply be enjoyed for what they are; the drug-fueled party Farrell and Gleeson have with Jordan Prentice would be hysterical as its own separate short film, with no other context.)
In Bruges ended up on a lot of ten-best-of-2008 lists, and rightly so. Definitely worth looking into, and the sooner the better. **** ½