Every image and event are premeditated and accounted for.

Rating: 8/10 (1 August 2015)

Our senses often become so jaded by continuous movie-watching that past a point nothing excites us anymore. We begin to recognize the structural tropes and anticipate the twists and turns before they make an appearance on screen. Vigorous attempts of movie makers fall flat before our indifferent eyes. It has been my problem for a while now. And then this movie, In Bruges, came along with its simple premise and, after a long time, I was immersed in a movie experience.
The plot is simple enough. Two contract killers complete a hit job assigned to them and, obeying the orders from their boss, come to the Dutch town called Bruges, apparently to lay low for a while. Younger one Ray (Collin Farrell) seems like he has not yet hardened enough to fit comfortably into the mold of his job. Older one Ken (Brendan Gleeson) has already come to terms with the demands of his profession. He treats Ray like his kid brother and is very indulgent towards Ray's constant complaints and bickering over their having to spend time in this ancient and dull Bruges. This irritableness of Ray is later established to have a deeper source for a reason. He has a guilt upon his conscience too heavy for his professional experience–that of accidentally killing a boy during a botched hit job. This guilt drives his thoughts towards death. But what he doesn't know yet is that that is the very fate for the fulfillment of which he was sent to Burges. Even Ken doesn't realize it until an order to kill Ray comes to him from the boss. What Kevin does, and the later consequences, consist the rest of the story.
This movie is a marvel of storytelling. It reminds us again what little details are enough to make a compelling story. It creates its own world the rules of which barely correspond with the real or even cinematic worlds that we are accustomed to. Every image and event are premeditated and accounted for. And the setting of Bruges is interwoven so skillfully within the screenplay that it becomes an active character itself. I stumbled upon this movie without realizing that the director is the same person who later went on to made Seven Psychopaths, another movie that I loved very much. I've observed many people comparing Martin McDonagh with Tarantino, but I think this director is going his own way and doing his own thing. He is added to my list of directors whose IMDb accounts I keep checking to see if they are making anything new.