Overall, In Bruges's action-filled satirical plot makes it one of the best films of the decade.

Rating: 9/10 (21 April 2011)

I thought that this movie's story was excellent. The characters help guide the audience through the different twist and turns of the story. This movie is very different than a lot of popular comedy/action movies because it is dark and depressing. Most comedy/action movies such as Kiss Kiss Bang Bang or Rush Hour have a bright uplifting plot that entices the audience, but also puts them in a good mood. In Bruges is the opposite of this. It still has a very enthralling plot, but this movie leaves you feeling satisfied and also slightly depressed in the end, considering that almost every vital character dies. The director, Martin McDonagh, includes very dark themes such as suicide and loss of self-identity in this movie, but somehow this movie still has a witty comedic undertone. Overall, In Bruges's action-filled satirical plot makes it one of the best films of the decade.
The Cinematography and Editing in the film In Bruges is excellent. The town of Bruges is a magical medieval town that is expressed with great beauty in this movie. Almost every person that sees this movie will instantly fall in love with the town of Bruges. The beautiful canals and parks make this city one of the most beautiful in the world, cinematically and in real life. One of the most breathtaking scenes is when Ken first goes to the top of the clock tower. The camera pans out onto a beautiful horizon of classical medieval buildings as far as the eye can see. Also, this movie makes great use of the quick, dark shots of the main characters with half of their face in shadow and half in light. This technique can be seen in movies such as Alfred Hitchcock's Rear Window, and The Usual Suspects. A wonderful example of this technique is the scene where Ray is in the confessional with the priest. The camera shows a great shot of the divider between the confessional, showing the priest's dark face as he talks to Ray. Another great sequence in this scene is when the camera follows Ray as he follows the crawling priest into the main chapel. The editing in this movie is also great. Every scene in the movie serves a specific purpose, and all of the actors seem to know their role in every scene. The movie seems the perfect length, the length where you get the full effect of the movie without being hackneyed by the same characters and setting. Overall, I think that the cinematography and editing in this movie are great, and they are two of the many things that add up to make this movie great.
The acting in In Bruges is wonderful. The actors all serve a specific purpose, and they portray their characters with poise and accuracy. Many of these actors have little or no experience, but they still portray their characters with the effectiveness of a veteran. Colin Farrell plays Ray, the energetic but lonely rookie hit man that struggles with the guilt of killing a young boy. Farrell plays this role with Oscar wining effort. He goes from one minute being a funny, outgoing young man to bearing the stress and loneliness that seems to come with the job. Farrell's facial expressions in this movie pretty much make the movie. Whether he is displaying a comic, sarcastic face responding to a remark by his partner, or the sad, dreary look of a man without a cause, Farrell executes his role to perfection, and once again shows why he is one of the best actors in Hollywood. Brendan Gleeson plays the calm, surprisingly moral filled character of Ken. Gleeson plays the role of Ken with the acting skills of a seasoned veteran with something to prove. Before this, Gleeson has played minor supporting roles such as Reynald de Chatillon in Kingdom of Heaven and Monk McGinn in the Scorsese hit Gangs of New York. Gleeson's role in this movie is much more important to the plot, and he plays this role wonderfully. Gleeson is the calm, collective character that keeps this movie in check. In the face of extreme action, danger, and chaos, the character of Ken seems to hold the movie together at the seams. I would compare Gleeson's character of Ken to William Holden's character of Pike Bishop in the movie The Wild Bunch. Both characters seem like bad people based on the roles they have in society, but towards the end both characters end up showing moralistic values such as risking their own lives for another. The acting in this movie is unbelievable, and it continues to blow me away.
The direction of the film In Bruges is great. The director, Martin McDonagh, has made this movie great through his use of dark, action-filled scenes. McDonagh cleverly puts funny comedic relief in the form of the character Ray throughout the movie to keep the audience involved in the movie without feeling dreary and depressed. He entices the audience with fast, action scenes, and dramatic scenes that make us question our own sanity. Through McDonagh's great characters and casting, he has effectively portrayed the overall emotion and conflict of the story line. McDonagh is like the Harper Lee of directing, in that he has made only 1 movie (and one short film) and seeks to end his filmmaking career. This will strengthen McDonagh's prestige as a director in years to come, as he will always be remembered as being a great director. Besides in the sound department, it seems that McDonagh has completely mastered the art of directing, and it is a shame that he will no longer continue his once great legacy.