"Maybe that's what hell is: the entire rest of eternity spent in Bruges"

Rating: 8/10 (26 December 2009)

'In Bruges (2008)' is director Martin McDonagh's feature debut, and it promises excellent things to come. His film shows the influence of Guy Ritchie's 'Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels (1998)' and 'Snatch (2000),' but is mostly without the excessive stylisation of Ritchie's films. For two hours, the film delicately blends black comedy and action, exploring difficult themes of life and death, but in a manner entirely without pretension. McDonagh's highly-quotable screenplay ("they're filming midgets!"), despite an over-reliance on obscenities, enjoyed an Oscar nomination, but otherwise the film escaped most official recognition.
After an assassination attempt goes wrong, two London hit-men take shelter in the unfamiliar Belgian city of Bruges. While the philosophical Ken (Brendan Gleeson) takes an interest in the city's historical architecture, the impatient Ray (Colin Farrell) takes to complaining at every possible opportunity. Eventually, the unique history and people of Bruges – including stunning local girl Chloe (Clémence Poésy) and an American midget actor (Jordan Prentice) – leads both men to reevaluate their lives, for better or worse. When specific orders are ultimately disobeyed, their disgruntled boss Harry (Ralph Fiennes) reluctantly flies to Bruges to settle matters himself.
'In Bruges' contains several scenes that don't quite work: the midget's narcotics-fuelled rant about interracial warfare feels like forced drug humour, and the climax seems to operate out of ironic obligation rather than an understanding of character. However, Gleeson and Farrell share a chemistry that is amusing and often quite moving. The city of Bruges, whatever Ray has to say about it, is photographed with fondness and affection, depicted as a sort of historical sanctuary where time stands still. Two friends of mine plan on touring Europe later next year. Their proposed itinerary includes the staple capital cities of Berlin, Amsterdam and Paris. 'In Bruges' may, indeed, have added an additional pit-stop to their journey.