A Great Film. Appreciated yet remaining underrated.

Rating: 10/10 (10 September 2011)

I love this film, and have seen it a number of times. It has many superlative elements, and one flaw.
The story is compelling, and laden with themes. The use of Brugge as purgatory, is encapsulated in the scene where Ray and Ken meditate upon The Last Judgement, by Bosch. The theme that nice men can do bad things recurs. A nod (an homage is too strong) to "Don't Look Now", and another nod to "Nosferatu the Vampyre", as Harry, in silhouette, pistol whips the attendant of the Brugge Belfry. Ken's own redemption, attempting to redeem Ray shows that it's never too late to change the path you have chosen. Harry, also a bad man, remains an honourable man- "You've got to stick to your principles"; "I'm sorry I called you an inanimate object". The ultimate revelation that the midget's role is central, and is not a picaresque conceit, is masterly. The brilliant dialogue, and the haunting score, especially, Der Leiermann, illustrate that Carter Burwell really understood the film, and endow the film with a congruence that is all too rare.
The flaw? That self referential bit when Harry tells Marie that "this is the shoot out". It jars, but it's like grit in an oyster, emphasising the overall brilliance of this film.