Blood Battle In Bruges

Rating: Null/10 (20 March 2009)

'In Bruges' tells a darkly hilarious story of two hit men who visit Bruges to stay in hiding. 'In Bruges' deserves credit for the creativity behind it among other things. Being a huge fan of black comedy, I haven't seen anything like it. The screenplay is superb and unique. The story feels very Shakespearean and I wonder whether there is another movie where the dialogue is loaded with such dark humour through dialogue, situations and characterization. McDonagh does take the dialogue to quite an extreme side of darkness using themes like pedophilia, racism, homosexuality and xenophobia but the comic impact isn't lost.
The setting is amazing. Bruges looks amazing. It's historical, quiet, seemingly peaceful and mysterious. Thanks to the remarkable cinematography which allows the town to play a character of its own. It definitely makes one want to visit the place.
'In Bruges' is additionally loaded with colourful characters that include the aforementioned two hit men (the main characters), a gangster, a racist little person who prefers to be as a dwarf, a blind con-artist, a Russian arms dealer, a pregnant lodger, a sexy drug dealer, a Dutch prostitute and a Canadian couple who hate cigarette smoke. Many of their appearances may sound random but it all comes together beautifully in this film.
All the actors do nothing short of a splendid job. Farrell and Gleeson both perform naturally as the killers with conscience. Their dialogue delivery and comic timing is fantastic. Colin Farrell is in form after a long time. Though the reason for Ray's arrival in Bruges was to escape the consequences of having killed a child, Ray is portrayed as a childlike character himself and Farrell makes him believable and human. Brendan Gleeson is excellent as a father/big brotherly figure to Ray. His reaction to his costars is particularly of note. Ralph Fiennes has played villainous parts before (like in 'Schindler's List' and that Harry Potter movie) and here he does it wonderfully displaying a flair for comedy. Thekla Reuten is a surprise treat as she is very likable as the hostess. Clémence Poésy is charming.
'In Bruges' is an exceptional witty black comedy that is both entertaining and fascinating. It's been a long while since I laughed out loud so many times during a movie.