The Iron Chef of karate-chopping midgets

Rating: 8/10 (26 December 2008)

I love a good black comedy  Miles Davis struck-match black. When I say 'black comedy', no, I'm not talking about Barbershop, or any other rubbish with Ice Cube in it, I'm talking about comedy that combines the morbid and grotesque in order to convey the absurdity and cruelty of life. So when I finally finished watching an advanced copy of 'In Bruges', the first thing I did was run out onto the street and scream "Halle-bloody-lujah!" to the sky well, figuratively. Finally a decent film! Here I was thinking that I was going to die without having watched at least two good films this year.
Few cultures do black comedy better than the English/Irish.
Writer/Director Martin McDonagh's first full-length feature film, In Bruges, tells the story of two contract killers who are forced to hole up in Bruges, Belgium after a recent hit in London goes south. Waiting on further instruction from their employer, the mysterious Harry Waters (Ralph Fiennes), Ken (Brendan Gleeson) the older, seasoned professional and Ray (Colin Farrell) the younger, inexperienced rookie begin to realize how different their perspectives of life, death and redemption truly are.
Let me say straight off the bat that In Bruges won't be everyone's cup of tea, but if you love dark British crime films like Lock Stock, chances are you will enjoy this offering from McDonagh. In Bruges can only be described is a multilayered breath of fresh air: it's violent, it's crass, it's absurd, it's touching, and it's as funny as hell.
In Bruges revolves around two men with a unique sense of moral flexibility. Dumped onto a train and sent to Bruges in order to wait it out until the heat dies down from their last job  they have two weeks to wait for a phone call from their boss. So how do a couple of hired guns kill time in one of Europe's most intact medieval cities? They go sightseeing of course. The film instantly drops us into the interesting dynamic between the two lead characters Ken and Ray: Ken wants to get out and experience the culture and atmosphere of the city, while Ray is the complete opposite, content to stay in his hotel room and wallow in self-pity  that is until he meets a young woman on the set of a local film. As the story unfolds, we learn more about the botched hit in London, and as a result, we learn more about what motivates our two leads. Throw a drugged-up midget into the mix and our two hit men are set for an intriguing, if slightly predictable climax.
I couldn't fault a great deal in terms of the acting or characters. At first I found it a little difficult to picture Brendan Gleeson as the seasoned contract killer, but any objections quickly faded-away as the story picked-up. Likewise with Colin Farrell's character  he did come across as a bit of a sniveling girl, not exactly Farrell's strong suit from an acting standpoint, but I soon forgot all about that the instant I became immersed in the story. Once it became evident that McDonagh opted-out of going with characters that resembled two-dimensional cardboard cut-outs from your typical Hollywood action film, the experience washed-over me in a satisfying wave. I went with the story I went on the journey... and I loved it.
Why the hell can't Hollywood make these sorts of films: interesting characters, an engaging story, touching moments, and some wicked black humor?
There I was, less than twenty minutes into the film and cackling my head off at Farrell's character insulting a group of rather rotund American tourists. Then it suddenly hit me like a bullet to the forehead, I can't remember laughing this hard or this much at any of the films I've reviewed recently. Combined. Get Smart and Hancock maybe resulted in one or two genuine laughs, but I was only twenty minutes into In Bruges and I already had a massive smile on my face. The laughs didn't stop there, trust me.
Don't be worried if the name Martin McDonagh doesn't ring a bell, I hadn't heard of the guy before going into this film either. Having done a little research on the man since, it appears that McDonagh is quite an accomplished playwright-cum-filmmaker who has won more Olivier Awards for his plays than I've had hot meals. I suspect that the director's theatre experience is an integral part as to why In Bruges is such a great film  there's a sense of intimacy and polish to In Bruges that is such an important part of playwriting.
Overall I really enjoyed In Bruges  an absolute breath of fresh air compared to the dreck that comes out of Hollywood these days. If God did exist, and if I actually believed in a god, I'd have to thank him for the dark wit of our European friends in the UK and Ireland. I only had two small criticisms of In Bruges. The first: without giving anything way, I must admit that the last fifteen minutes of the film were pretty predictable  but for me, I still loved every second of it. The second criticism: it almost felt like I was watching a Belgian Tourist Commission advertisement for Bruges - I'd almost swear that the director was getting a kick-back from the local government to bestow the virtues of Bruges and its incredible history... only to have that notion torn-away every time Collin Farrell's character mentioned how much of a hole Bruges was. Ultimately, neither of those minor niggles detracted from the film as a whole  if you love English black humor then In Bruges is absolutely worth the trip to the cinema or video store.
Edited excerpt from: www.youseenthat.com