In Bruges... it's in Belgium. And a magnificent film

Rating: 10/10 (4 April 2011)

Massive spoilers ahead. If you haven't seen it, STOP READING. Instead, go buy the film right now. Considering the average score and my rating, you know it can't be bad.
In Bruges is an amazing film on so many levels. Basically, it's about two Irish hit men, Ray and Ken, working in London. They f#¤k up a job BIG TIME and they are forced to hide out in Bruges by their boss, Harry. So far, nothing groundbreaking. It seems like a standard action comedy flick. But it's only so much more than that. I'd say it's a comedy drama because of all the funny moments and amazingly witty dialog and the subject of the movie, which is dead serious. That's the perfect blend in my opinion - you get humor and seriousness, but those two opposites enhance each other when confronted. The funny bits are even funnier, and the serious bits really get under your skin.
What I love most about this film are the characters. And it's interesting that there is no real bad guy. Technically, Harry would be the bad guy, but you can also argue for his point of view.
Ray - the main character. He's young, inexperienced and a very direct person. He says what's on his mind, no matter the consequences. He killed a little boy, and he's having a very hard time coping with that, on the verge of suicide. But in the end, he rediscovers the joy of life and decides that he doesn't want to die. We know he didn't mean to kill the boy, and we see his remorse, but still... he is a hit-man, he is a bad man - you can't deny that, but you like him, so you don't want him to die.
Ken - Ray's mentor, so to speak. The older, wiser hit-man. He's much more cultivated and easy going and a very mild person in general, which seems odd for his line of work and that only makes him more interesting. He wants to give Ray a second chance because he believes that Ray can change and that he will redeem himself if he quits this line of work and saves the next little boy.
Harry - the boss, perhaps the most interesting character of them all. I can't see him as a bad person. He's a fair man who sticks to his principles and actually cares about other people, which is clearly showed near the end where he's asking he pregnant hotel owner to step aside because being a nice person, he doesn't want to put her in harms way. Have you ever seen a hit-man do that before? I think it's amazing. He believes that you can't expect to kill a little boy and get away it. That makes sense. It's a terrible crime which you should be punished for.
I really love the ambiguity of the characters and the depth they add to the film. It's hard to decide whose side you're on.
Oh I could go on for ages about this. In Bruges is funny, heart breaking, violent, exciting, serious, clever, beautiful, and most important of all - it's deep. It really makes you think. It's rare to see a fun film with so much depth. I mean, has hit men ever been more human?
This really is European film at its best!