In Bruges
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Movie Reviews of In Bruges
Movie Review: Absolutely brilliant dark dramedy
Summary: 5 Stars
How to describe this deceptively simple film is the hardest place to begin. The plot's fairly simple: Two Irish hit-men, Ray (Colin Farrell) and Ken (Brendan Gleeson), are sent to Bruges (in Belgium) to wait out the consequences of an assassination gone terribly awry.
The younger of the two, Ray, is bored and angtsy with the whole place. He's got a guilty conscience, having been the bloke who totally screwed up the hit. Ken, older and more sanguine about the whole matter, is the total opposite. He's enjoying the sights and quiet cadence of the city, seeing it as a brief respite from what he knows is a powder keg about to blow up in both their faces.
Without giving away key plot points (all brilliantly revealed as the beginning of the end begins to play out toward its tragic conclusion), all I can say is WOW! Though I have never been a huge Colin Farrell fan, I found the actor to be an absolute revelation. The man can actually act, excellently conveying Ray's guilty conscience with a manic, twitchy angst that practically sets the screen on fire. When Ray's mistake is finally revealed in all its heartbreaking glory, Farrell manages to portray Ray's guilt and attempt at redemption in a scene that awes as well as chills the viewer. This is definitely an Oscar caliber performance, and one would hope the actor will continue to make such smart choices in future roles. The fact that Farrell gets to use his actual Irish accent is definitely a plus for the character. His Ray is a charming, annoying, childish, totally screwed up nut about to crack.
Gleeson, too, is equally convincing in his quiet, calm portrayal. His Ken, world weary and tried of the whole business of death, nevertheless knows he's got to pull back his shoulders and soldier on--even if it means he has to face the bad end of a gun himself from mob boss, Harry (an excellent Ralph Feinnes channeling an evil more vicious than even Lord Voldemort). Harry's riff on the Uzi he is offered by a gun supplier is hilarious, as is Ray's in run with a racist dwarf, among others as he ambles through Bruges seeking a solace neither drink nor drugs, or even a pretty girl, can offer.
The end for these three men is tragic, but totally fitting. I thoroughly enjoyed In Bruges and watched it several times just to soak in the early subtle clues leading up to Ray's mental meltdown. I admit that I had to watch the film with English subtitles on as I couldn't understand the actor's thick accents, but that wasn't any distraction or detriment.
Movie Review: Purgatory? It's "Like Tottenham"
Summary: 5 Stars
In Bruges is a delightful little film from the UK featuring Colin Farrell and Brendan Gleeson (you may recall him as Mad-Eye Moody from Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (Widescreen Edition)).
By turns laugh out loud funny, poignant, and violent, 'In Bruges' has Farrell (Ray) and Gleeson (Ken) as two hit men sent to Bruges from England after Farrell botches a hit job. Ralph Fiennes (The Constant Gardener (Widescreen Edition)) makes a stellar late appearance as Harry, the boss who comes over from London to straighten the pair of them out. Nearly every character in the film, however brief their role, is either interesting to look at or listen to or think about or all three.
Ray and Ken are an ill-matched pair - Ken decides to play the tourist and soaks up the canals, art and cathedral. Ray, on the other hand, never refers to Bruges without the adjective 'firking' in front of it (or something like that). Much of the film's humor comes from little bits of conversation and the contrast between the natures of the two killers. Ken takes Ray to the Basilica of the Holy Blood, but Ray cannot be bothered with kissing the vial. They see a triptych that includes purgatory, which Ray succinctly describes 'It's when you're not really [bad] and not really good - like Tottenham.'(This is a reference not to Tottenham the city, but rather to Tottenham the football team. Also, I think the triptych is Bosch's The Last Judgment').
Turns out though that Ray and Ken quite like each other - it's not going too far to say they are even devoted friends. Out of this devotion comes the film's poignancy.
The film has a fair amount of violence, mostly brief, but somewhat graphic and a surfeit of f-bombs and some c-bombs as well. The use of profane language as humor is harder to pull off now that profanity is so ordinary, but they manage it, sometimes by mixing it with proper and even delicate use of English, such as when Ken includes a reference to Harry's children in a profanity-laced riff, Harry demands that he retract the reference to his children and Ken quickly, almost shamefacedly agrees to the retraction, before resuming his choice references to parts of Harry's private anatomy.
Mostly, 'In Bruges' is just very funny while being a little odd and a little touching. Highly recommended.
Movie Review: 4.5 stars with a roundup for bias (I lived in Belgium)
Summary: 5 Stars
First off: great flick! Colin Farrell delivers in a role practically written for him (not sure if it was or not), and at least partially redeems himself for "Alexander". Brendan Gleeson provides a nice performance as a stoic and pensive hit man, the mature counterpart and partner in crime to Colin Farrell's younger and brash character named Ray. For reasons not exactly clear at first, we learn the two guns for hire have been sent to Bruges to cool their heals and wait for further instructions from the employer, Harry Waters (played very entertainingly by Ralph Fiennes) in Bruges, Belgium of all places.
Now under full disclosure, I have to admit I howled at this movie partially because I lived in Belgium for 3 years and as an outsider, I had many of the same observations as the characters in the movie. Belgium is a strange Germanic-Franco crossroads in Western Europe. The northern half speaks Dutch (or Flemish as they refer to it though the two are basically the same language), is closely linked to the Netherlands culturally and linguistically, but usually isn't too fond of the comparison. The south speaks French and is tightly tied to France through language and culture, and Brussels, the capital, is officially "bilingual," though it's primarily a French-speaking city with English spoken more than Dutch/Flemish (the supposed other language earning its "bilingual" label). Oh yeah, and just as side note, there are about 100,000 German speakers (but Belgian citizens) in the Eastern corner of the country. And because of these frequently at-odds parts of the population, Belgium frequently comes across as a place with a lot of cool cities, but not necessarily a coherent or cohesive country.
And Bruges is definitely one of Belgium's coolest cities, and plenty of folks who have never been to Belgium or Bruges will still find this movie entertaining. Be forewarned it is a BLACK comedy, where death and mayhem take on a comedic as well as tragic value (and there are equal doses of both in the movie). Most of the negative reviews on here seemed to be surprised by the bleakness and I'm guessing for them, it overpowers most of the humour.
So, if you want to learn a little about Bruges, Belgium, through some very enhancing cinematography and the narrative provided by Brendan Gleeson's character, AND be thoroughly entertained by a very British-styled comedy (assuming you can handle the macabre-comedic elements of the movie), check this flick out. Way worth the time.
Movie Review: Actor Colin Farrell, Writer Martin McDonagh
Summary: 5 Stars
Colin Farrell and Brendan Gleeson turn in truly remarkable performances as two hit men on the lam in Bruges, Belgium, of all places. Colin Farrell's Ray is none too bright, comical, guilt-ridden, immature, and he suffers from a hair-triggered hot temper. As he clownishly mugs his way through the early part of the movie, pouting and sulking like the kid he is, his face becomes a rubbery map of his utter disdain for the cultural beauties of Bruges while his thick black eyebrows dance up and down mirroring his mood changes. By shooting a blank in a man's eye, he starts a chain of inevitable events that lead to tragedy.
Gleeson's Ken, sensitive, bright, also funny, falls in love with the architectural charm of the Medieval city. For brief moments it's a Laurel and Hardy romp between the two men. There are stunning shots of the city throughout the movie. Why is Ken chaperoning Ray anyway? Early on touristy Ken is on top of a tower. With his hand he makes an imaginary gun and pops one off on the cloddish Ray down at street level.
Hilarious is the scene in which three obese American tourists ask Colin about going up in the tower. He ends up being chased by the father and dancing around him. His brilliance is evident throughout the movie as he plays a character akin to the one he played in "Cassandra's Dream."
Ray falls for a girl who is part of a movie company filming in Bruges, a company that includes a dwarf, a character that becomes crucial to the plot. Rays says, "They're filming midgets." Drugs, sex, and jealousy are introduced, and Ray's fateful journey proceeds a few more paces into inevitability like a Greek tragedy that cannot end until all is settled.
Late in the movie Ralph Fiennes turns in a great performance as a manic, rabid killer-boss.
The movie was written and directed by Martin McDonagh. For those familiar with his plays on Broadway and elsewhere ("The Lieutenant of Inishmore, "The Pillowman," "The Cripple of Inishmaan"), they will know to expect theater of the absurd inane dialogue, wild swings between the comic and the violent, lots of blood and gore, black comedy, and brilliant story set-ups and plotting.
I watched the DVD in widescreen (not bad), but I turned on the English subtitles because Farrell's Irish brogue defies quick comprehension by the uninitiated. This is a masterful movie, but be aware it's violent and bloody. But awfully funny too. Black comedy, anyone?
Movie Review: A Surprisingly Fresh and Darkly Funny Hit Man Movie.
Summary: 5 Stars
I've seen a lot of hit man movies but none quite like "In Bruges", which combines black comedy and high drama to surprisingly fresh effect. Not only is it genuinely funny, but it's original. I haven't seen these characters countless times before. Ken (Brendan Gleeson) and Ray (Colin Farrell) are a couple of Irish hit men sent to Bruges, Brussels to lie low after Ray accidentally killed a child on a job in London. Ken is able to relax and enjoy the sightseeing in the picturesque city while they await instructions from their boss Harry Waters (Ralph Fiennes). But Ray is nervous, disinterested, and guilt-ridden -until he meets Chloe (Clemence Poesy), a woman working on a Belgian film crew who isn't put off by Ray's obnoxious behavior.
Martin McDonagh wrote and directed "In Bruges", his first feature film, and I'll be looking out for him in the future. He writes peculiar, politically incorrect dialogue that is both hilarious and unexpected. And I was amazed by this film's ability to make unrespectable characters so likable. Ray is an uneducated bigot, cute, but nevertheless grating. Yet his interplay with the older and wiser Ken is fascinating and leaves the audience routing for him. Harry Waters is single-minded killer, but he is so steadfast in his own bizarre value system that he's almost sympathetic. These men's rather serious problems ultimately had me laughing out loud. Ironically, I found the violence had more impact than in most gangster films, though I'm not sure if that is due to, or in spite of, the humor.
The DVD (Universal 2008): Bonus features include some Deleted & Extended scenes, a Gag Reel (6 min), and 4 featurettes. "When in Bruges" (14 min) interviews writer/director Martin McDonagh, the cast, and producer Graham Broadbent about the genesis of the story, characters, and themes. "Strange Bruges" (7 ½ min) talks with director, cast, and production designer Michael Carlin about the city as environment and filming there. "A Boat Trip Around Bruges" (6 min) is literally a boat tour of the city, by canal, with the history of the city displaying as text across the top and bottom of the screen. "Fooking Bruges" (1 ½ min) is a montage of all the F-words in the movie, which I count to be over 100. Subtitles are available in English SDH, Spanish, French. Dubbing available in French.