Crime, Comedy & A Point Of Principle

Rating: 9/10 (11 August 2016)

"In Bruges" has a plot line that comfortably accommodates a number of seemingly incongruous elements as well as producing some neat twists. Its mixture of crime, comedy and action is immediately appealing but as it develops, it's also enriched by the eccentricities of its characters and the sharp dialogue that brings them to life so effectively. As an added bonus, the action is set in the beautiful Belgian city that provides the movie with its stunning backdrop as well as its title and the action is cleverly paced to accommodate both character development and the delivery of some entertaining action sequences.
Ray (Colin Farrell) and Ken (Brendan Gleeson) are a couple of Irish hit men who are sent to Bruges to escape the fallout from their last job which went very wrong when Ray unintentionally killed a child. All they know is that their stay could last up to two weeks and that they need to remain on standby to receive some further instructions from their crime boss Harry (Ralph Fiennes). The two men are very different as Ray is young, excitable and a complete novice at his job whereas Ken is older, more experienced and has a much calmer disposition. Ken adjusts immediately to their predicament and takes the opportunity to enjoy some sightseeing but Ray is completely unimpressed by his new surroundings and is impatient to leave again as soon as possible. Ray's also consumed with guilt about what he's done.
Ray's attitude starts to soften, however, after he sees a film crew at work one night, and becomes fascinated by a dwarf who's one of the main actors in a dream sequence that they're filming. To add further enjoyment, he also meets Chloe (Clemence Poesy), an attractive production assistant and makes a date with her. Their friendship soon becomes very eventful as their date ends with Ray beating up an unpleasant couple who were sitting near them in a restaurant and discovering that Chloe is actually a drug dealer whose sideline in the past has been to seduce tourists so that her ex-boyfriend Eirik (Jeremie Renier) could rob them.
When Ken eventually receives Harry's telephone call, he's surprised by the assignment that he's given and prepares to go ahead as instructed. Things don't go according to plan though and so Harry feels compelled to travel to Bruges himself and this leads to the story's surprising climax which proves to be deeply ironic, wonderfully absurd and perfectly fitting for this very black comedy.
For his directorial debut, well-respected playwright Martin McDonagh has come up with an exceptional story that's totally unpredictable and juxtaposes tragedy, comedy, remorse, violence and pathos in ways that are quite original and unexpected. His characters are extremely well-drawn and there's an innate quirkiness about the whole undertaking which makes the movie continuously stimulating and funny to watch.
Colin Farrell and Brendan Gleeson are marvellous as the two hit men as they bring out their individual characteristics so vividly whilst also displaying, through their banter, how well they work together and function as friends. Ralph Fiennes also makes a huge impact with his nicely over-the-top portrayal of the scary sociopath, Harry.