Enthralled from beginning to end

Rating: 10/10 (17 October 2009)

From the entrance of Carter Burwell's brilliant score up to the last names of initial credits, that is how I felt - enthralled.
This brilliantly written film stirs some pondering on life, death, and judgment. It is also sprinkled with some clever and occasionally hilarious dialog. The hotel scene in the end was just classic. Colin Farrell's character had one of the most likable personalities. Sure, he has no tact, but you find yourself chuckling instead of being offended. I don't think I've ever found myself this hard at racist banter.
The shots were gorgeous. I'm sure I'm not the only one wanting to visit Bruges now. The editing was excellent too. The pacing was just perfect. I barely felt 107 minutes go by. No scene got left my mind wandering. Not once did I feel like checking my watch.
Finally, the ending. It was just brilliant. I felt like crying. I didn't, but I actually wanted to. The way the story went full circle was reminiscent of Polanski's Chinatown. In fact, it might have made the same impact. I found myself not wanting to watch any TV or play any music for a few minutes after the movie ended. I just wanted to absorb everything I had just seen.
It was... "like a fairy tale."