All over the place

Rating: 4/10 (4 March 2008)

I headed into my screening of the new Colin Farrell/Brendan Gleeson film, In Bruges wanting to like the film as much as any film I have travelled a distance to experience this year.
I am one of the few that think Farrell's interviews over the years have been far better than any of his performances, but Gleeson is someone that I have admired since he stole a few scenes from Gibson and the gang back in 1995's Braveheart.
Putting the two Irishmen together in a film ripe with violence and humour was as welcomed into my day's itinerary as that favourite uncle that always came to the house bearing gifts.
But when the full experience came to a close, I was left feeling like I opened up the gift only to find a rattle rapped inside a knitted sweater.
In Bruges stars Farrell and Gleeson as Ray and Ken, two hit men hiding out in the Brussels town of Bruges after Ray's first assignment suffers some collateral damage. The two couldn't be more opposite. Ken is the elder, father-like figure that would spend his days traveling the city and taking in the historical sites and buildings. Ray, is the cynical partner (and comic relief) that prefers to chase skirts and head to the local pub for a pint or two of local lager. Together the two are Frick and Frack. Murtaugh and Riggs. Lee and Carter.
With not much going on in the small town, the two seem to squeeze their entertainment value out of the locals thanks to large consumptions of beer, some cocaine and quirky acquaintances that provide leisurely distractions to both Ray and Ken as they await further instruction from crime boss Harry (Ralph Fiennes). Particularly small man Jordan Prentice as Jimmy. As a midget on location in Bruges shooting a dream sequence in a film, Jimmy provides all the laughs that don't come from Ray's adolescent behaviour.
The fun and games take a turn for the serious when Harry orders Ken to off Ray as punishment for the hit that resulted in complications. Unfortunately, this is also where the film turns predictable. You know just know that Ken is not going to kill his apprentice Ray and that Harry would end up having to come to town himself to rid himself of now two problems.
And this all takes us to a bloody finale that should have been more fun that its conclusion and more satisfying than its ending.
I definitely cannot fault the writing via a screenplay from director Marin McDonagh who at one time had more Oscars (with one) than Martin Scorsese. When Ray utters such non-politically correct phrases as "If I'd grown up on a farm and was retarded, Bruges might impress me, but I didn't, so it doesn't." I could imagine Farrell and Gleeson sitting around a script reading table laughing uncontrollably over the audacity of the lines that are played with quick witted precision in front of the camera.
But the film from top to bottom confused me and left me bouncing off the walls trying to figure out what type of film it was trying to become. It started off with the black humour and utter ignorance of a Payback, then went into a Lethal Weapon buddy/buddy film only to change pace and go incredible serious leading up to the final chapters that were more bloody than most of the horrors I have seen in recent weeks.
For all that, I cannot give In Bruges a recommendation. It is one of those few films that I do expect to watch again on DVD and I hope I can be swayed into seeing the film for the individual parts even if they don't flow together cohesively. But in the meantime, I recommend that you don't go to Bruges, but you stay at home and do a virtual tour on the internet instead.
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