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Movie Review: In Bruges

Two Dublin hit-men who screwed up an assassination in London are sent to a remote city to lay low and await another assignment. Here is our editor-in-chief's take on the film.

Review by Dave Bunnell

Monday, March 31, 2008

Name of Film: In Bruges

Writer & Director: Martin McDonagh

Lead Actors: Colin Farrell, Brendan Gleeson, Ralph Fienes

Other Significant Contributors: This is character-driven movie and in addition to the stars, Clemence Posey, as a seemingly innocent young blond, and Jordan Prentice, as a tortured dwarf, provide ingenious extra dimension.

The Story: Two Dublin hit-men who screwed up an assassination in London are sent to the remote city of Bruges (prounched "broozh") in Belgium to lay low and await another assignment.

Review: This is the first feature film from Martin McDonagh, an Irish playwright known for his biting dark comedy, his morally challenged but endearing characters, and unspeakable, graphic violence. The dialogue is caustic, ironic, full of profanity and absolutely brilliant.

Brendan Gleeson as the older gangster (Ken) immediately takes to the medieval architecture and Venice-like water channels of Bruges. He is content to bide his time looking at guidebooks and playing tourist. Gleeson is deep and fatherly, a cold-blooded killer with soul—which is nothing new, but no one else could have played this part with more pathos.

The younger Colin Farrell (Ray) instantly hates Bruges and can't wait to get back to Dublin. He can be funny, but he's mostly gloomy and upredictably violent. Wacking a priest back home (after confessing to the priest that he is about to kill him) doesn't bother Ray but accidentally killing a young boy does.

His spirits revive somewhat when, by happenstance, he meets Cloe (Clemence Poesy), a vivacious film production assistant, and the racist dwarf actor Jimmy (Jordan Prentice). They end up doing a lot of drugs, partying with prostitutes, and arguing about Jimmy's fantasy, a worldwide race war between blacks and whites with most non-Caucasians, including Vietnamese, joining in with the blacks.

Finally, word comes down from the Dublin crime boss (Ralph Fiennes) who orders Ken to kill Ray because killing the priest was just business but "blowing a kid's head off just isn't done." At the moment Ken is about to kill Ray, Ray is actually about to commit suicide. Neither event happens, so Fiennes arrives in Bruges to finish off both of them.

I wouldn't want to reveal much more about the plot or surprising ending, but this film is positively Shakespearean. And you'll want to hop a plane to Bruges, a charming city if there ever was one.

Reason you should see this movie: Great acting and a great script from someone we'll be seeing and hearing more of. It's definitely for mature audiences and if you don't can't stand seeing blood and hearing people say F**K all the time, don't bother.

Rating:

–Reviewed by ELDR editor-in-chief Dave Bunnell of Berkeley, California

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