Dramedy in Bruges

Rating: 9/10 (16 January 2009)

An excellent film. Extremely subtle and humorous. Not everyone will like this film. It's not fast paced or action packed. However, the acting is exceptional and it is filled with both humor and sober thoughts on life, death and guilt.
Colin Farrell has undoubtedly offered up his finest performance in film. Farrell has been decent in other films but this role was filled with humor and vulnerability. The acting during a conversation at breakfast with Brendan Gleeson in the hotel is priceless; so, too, Farrell's attempt to get a date with the lovely and wonderfully attractive Clemence Poesy.
Gleeson himself is excellent as well as a brief but very poignant role by Ralph Fiennes. The Golden Globe nominations of Gleeson and Farrell for Best Actor in a Musical or Comedy were well deserved. In my view, Farrell should get a Best Actor nomination for the Academy; it is not a winning role. But, it is phenomenal acting. I doubt he'll get a nomination given the Academy's melodrama fetish. However, I will guarantee that Farrell's role is better than two or three of the roles. Farrell takes small scenes with good dialog and makes it exceptional.
The various views of Bruges are very nice; the movie captures very well life in a mid-sized European town. The main square the hotel and its breakfast area all are captured quite well.
The screenplay is equal to Farrell's acting. There are great statements about life and choices one makes - as well as great humor. To be able to explore both with equal aplomb in a film is quite an achievement. The screenplay for this movie is also quite deserving of an Oscar nomination. The one slight negative I would have is that I might have changed around a couple of scenes near the end, but that's always the writer's prerogative.
Finally, the language is pretty rough at times. However, this seems essential for a legitimate portrayal of the characters.
Unless you can only handle mindless action films (don't get me wrong - those have their place!) or fast action dramas - you should enjoy this movie.