Hit men with a conscience.

Rating: 8/10 (12 October 2008)

Great, sad, brutal, funny, pardon me, I meant f***n' funny, are the first things that I can think of just after seeing this quite simple but effective movie. As the title says In Bruges, the story is set in a medium-sized Belgium town with a very rich historical background, an earthly paradise for tourists of a more "cultural" type. Just one of the last places on earth where you would put a story that involves professional hit men.
"Bruges dangerous" doesn't seem to make any sense, but there are enough elements thrown in that make this concept work so well, you almost wish to go there someday for yourself. But let's face it, off-screen Bruges itself must really be kind of boring if you are not a "cultural" fan, that's why it is apt to throw in American dwarfs, movie scenes, prostitutes, drug dealers, some of the crudest humor you can think of, etc, all that to go with those Gothic churches and make the story more exciting to follow.
But what also makes it appealing is that our two protagonists, especially Farrel with his bleak feelings, almost couldn't blend better with the cold, dark and depressive atmosphere of the town. But like most good comedies this film also builds it's story on certain contrasts. And the main contrasts that seems to exists is this notion of hit men that have a sort of a conscience, which is what it's all about. And I have to say that at times this idea does seem a little unbelievable, but without it the bleakness and guilt would disappear, the atmosphere wouldn't have it's effect and the story would have to be mostly rewritten.
Yet this is clearly not a motion picture for everyone, since the R rating is very much in place. It isn't always a plus, because there seems to be just a scene or two that is almost ridiculously violent and that mildly spoils the otherwise very, very thoughtful story.