Enjoyable

Rating: 7/10 (22 August 2008)

I enjoy movies that make a location one of the main themes. In this case, In Bruges, stands apart because of Bruges, which is in Belgium.
This is a story of two hit men, with very different personalities, who are sent away to Bruges after a botched job. Bruges, a historically and architecturally interesting city, but which is also rather boring.
The writing was good (could have been much better with a few minor adjustments) and the acting of Ferrell, Gleeson, and Fienes was enjoyable. The cinematography of Bruges was top notch. This film was a dark comedy, and was funny, but not THAT funny. The ideology that drove the plot...namely hit men shouldn't kill children, was to me, not that intense of motive for people who chose to be assassins. You would think that at least one of the 3 assassins in the film would not subscribe to that ideology.
I was a little put off by the anti-American theme that reared its ugly head throughout the film and by the racist comments by the drug-induced midget. The little person's wild commentary could have focused on something else besides a war between white and black people. Besides, it didn't seem to fit this character's personality at all either, regardless of whether he was on drugs or not. I also found it odd that the only Americans in the film were either overweight or a midget, hence of strange physical proportions. This unfortunate anti-American current made me enjoy the film slightly less than I would have and brought down my rating a tad.
A film that at best, could achieve an 8 of 10 stars, I give it 7 of 10 stars due to the anti-American themes. Plus, the story line is simply not believable enough to warrant any higher of a score. With that said, I recommend the film. Ferrell and Gleeson at their best and great cinematography make this film worthwhile.