If you like your comedy black and without sugar...

Rating: 10/10 (28 January 2009)

This is a hard movie to classify, let alone review. Where do you start? It IS humorous, but essentially it is a tragedy. It is unashamedly politically incorrect, but it does so indiscriminately. The central characters are really reprehensible in their actions & views and hardly distinguishable from the 'bad guys'. Wow - just like in real life.
The scenes of Bruges are beautifully shot, the script is clever and funny and the acting first rate. The whole movie is a work of art. It became my favourite movie from the first viewing but I left it nearly a year before reviewing it as I thought my enthusiasm may subside. It has not: I have given this film 10/10.
There is a wonderfully warm paternal relationship between Ken (Brendan Gleeson) & Ray (Colin Farrell) both characters are beautifully written with depth and wit. The background story unfolds gently without any fanfares that would insult the viewer. There are several very interesting characters floating around Bruges with Ray & Ken many of whom have good lines and memorable presence in the film: Tourists, drug dealers, a dwarf and a ticket seller, all with their part to play and who play it well.
The movie changes tempo in the final half hour becoming more action orientated and for me this is the weakest part. But the ending itself is perfect for the film. It has ambiguity which is something I normally hate, but a happy ending would be out of the question in this story and who the hell wants to see a sad one?