In Bruges

Plot synopsis:
The movie, a very dark comedy, begins in Bruges (a beautiful medieval city in Belgium) with two Irish hitmen, Ray (Colin Farrell) and Ken (Brendan Gleeson) are standing in a city square checking out the scenery. Instantly we see that Ken is enchanted with Bruges while Ray loathes the place. It is revealed that due to what happened in London they have no choice but to follow orders, stay in Bruges, lay low and wait for further instructions from Harry (Ralph Fiennes). Ray asks Ken how long he thinks they will have to stay in Bruges; Ken responds that he doesn't know, maybe two weeks. Again, we see that Ray is not happy about spending two weeks, let alone two hours, in Bruges. To add insult to injury it is Christmas and there is only one available room in the city (although at least it has two twin beds). During one of the first scenes in the hotel room Ken alludes to the incident in London indicating that they wouldn't be in Bruges if not for what happened, driving Ray to abruptly cut Ken off and retreat to the bathroom where he cries, distressed over whatever it was that occurred.Later Ray makes comments about Harry sending them to, say...the Bahamas...instead of this "bleeping" city of Bruges. Ken advises Ray to make the best of it, for starters why don't they climb up the tower in the square and take a look at the view. Ray snidely says, "no, he can see the 'bleeping' view just 'bleeping' fine from where he 'bleeping' is. Rays takes a seat (rather frustratedly) on a park bench and Ken goes off to climb the tower. The cost of going up the tower is 5 Euros for which Ken has change but is one coin short. Ken asks the cashier/guard to give him a break but the guy impatiently points out to Ken the sign that clearly states 5 Euros. Ken isn't pleased at having to break a large bill or the cashier's refusal to cut him some slack but he pulls out a 50 Euro note and gives it to the cashier anyway putting the 4.90 in change back in his pocket (important later). Ken walks up the very narrow, winding stairs to the top of the tower and looks out over Bruges enjoying every second. He looks down on the square and sees Ray sitting on the park bench with his arms crossed over his chest. At that point a hint to the nature of Ray and Ken's line of work is alluded to when Ken makes a gun of his fingers and "shoots" Ray.The scene changes to Ray down in the square who is approached by a family of three very large Americans who virtually stand on top of Ray without a clue as to who Ray is and begin to ask him if he has been to the top of tower. Again, Ray snidely responds that no he bleeping has not. The Americans are shocked and ask him why he doesn't want to go? Ray says he just doesn't want to and they shouldn't either (clearly because of their size though Ray doesn't come out and say it - yet). This back and forth exchange goes on with the Americans clearly wondering if Ray is saying what they think he's saying until Ray blurts out that they shouldn't go up because they're a bunch of bleeping elephants. The father explodes and haplessly tries to chase Ray, with Ray simply running in small circles dodging the American who can barely catch his breath after five seconds. The father gives up, the mother and daughter call Ray nasty names and they head off to go up the tower, meeting an oblivious Ken coming out the door who innocently advises the large family to watch out for the narrow stairs only to be called a bleeping a-hole by the daughter. Ray shrugs to a stunned Ken as if he has no idea why the Americans are so upset.That evening Ray and Ken happen upon a movie being filmed on the city streets. Much to Ray's utter amusement the movie includes a dwarf to which Ray exclaims "Holy shit, they're filming a movie about bleeping midgets!" While watching the filming of the movie, Ray catches sight of Chloe (Clemence Poesy) and is in awe of her and also mistakenly believes her to be a celebrity when in fact it turns out she is far from it. Rays stays to watch the filming and Ken goes back to the hotel room to see if Harry called. Ray sneaks on to the movie set and gets a cup of coffee from the food area behind Chloe who is helping herself as well. They have a little flirtatious exchange including discussion about midgets whom Chloe explains prefer to be called dwarves. Ray and the dwarf, Jimmy, are introduced and Ray's amazement at Jimmy is obvious and totally irreverent. Chloe and Ray continue to talk resulting in Ray asking Chloe out for dinner the next night. Chloe walks away, dropping a calling card over her head much to Ray's delight.The scene moves to Ken back at the hotel picking up a handwritten message from Harry, which the pregnant hotel proprietress has left for them. Harry is extremely ticked off that Ray and Ken were not in when he called and the "f" word is used liberally. The proprietress took the note verbatim and left nothing out. Ken is a bit embarrassed by the whole thing and goes to bed. Ray comes home and makes little effort to be quiet and not awaken Ken. He clearly wants to tell Ken all about his night and his planned date with Chloe the next evening and Ken clearly wants to go back to sleep. Ken tells Ray that Harry called and he will call again the next evening. Ray suggests it isn't necessary for both of them to be there and considering he already has a date would Ken wait by the phone and let Ray go out with Chloe. Ken agrees as long as in exchange they go sightseeing during the day. We see that though of different personalities Ken is fond of Ray in a de facto father-son way but won't come out and show it (and vice versa).The next day Ken and Ray are touring an old church. Ken is giving Ray the history of the church including the fact that some part of the church behind the alter is so old it may have been touched by God and touching it would be like touching God himself. Ken clearly wants Ray to appreciate the significance of this but Ray doesn't get it or doesn't want to and passes on the opportunity to (in Ken's eyes) begin to redeem himself for what happened in London and walks out of church instead leaving Ken behind. Ray walks out and sits on a bench. Across the street, he sees Jimmy walking and waves to him enthusiastically. Jimmy doesn't acknowledge him leaving Ray annoyed.The scene then flashes back to the incident in London. Ray is sitting in a confessional admitting to a priest (an uncredited Ciaran Hinds) that he is a hit man and he kills only for money. Not for revenge or out of anger, just for money. The priest who is quite dismayed by this confession asks Ray who he killed and Ray replies, "You" and shoots him. The priest stumbles out of the confessional and manages to make his way to the doorway into the church itself where Ray shoots several more bullets into his back. Before falling dead to the floor, the priest faintly says "a little boy". Ray looks past the dead priest on the floor and to his horror sees and young boy, perhaps 4 or 5 years old still kneeling in prayer with a clean but blood-filled bullet hole through his otherwise pristine forehead. One of the bullets went through the priest and struck the child. The little boy then crumples to the floor, dead, with a note in his hand indicating he was praying to God to do better in Math and other simple, childhood concerns. Ray goes to the boy but it is too late and the scene ends with Ken rushing to Ray and dragging him out of the church. This is the incident that drove Harry to send Ken and Ray to Bruges to lay low and what is - despite all of Ray's bluster and bravado - killing him inside. Ray is tormented with grief and guilt over accidentally killing the child.The next night Ray and Chloe are sitting at a table in a restaurant where Chloe is smoking her cigarette much to the dismay of a nearby couple who don't appreciate smoke in their face. In an unexpected and oddly honest exchange Ray reveals he shoots people for a living and Chloe reveals she deals drugs to movie sets and neither seems the least bit concerned about the other's career choice. Ray also reveals his inability to be tactful by first shamelessly insulting Bruges (Chloe's hometown) and then going out of his way to think of a crass joke about Belgium and child molesters. Instead of being repulsed by Ray's sensitivity Chloe shows she can give as good she gets. Chloe goes to use the bathroom and the annoyed man at the next table mutters how un-bleeping "unbelievable" it (she) is. Ray hears the guy's comment and tries to ignore it but can't and asks the guy what the hell he meant to which the guy rudely tells Ray he doesn't appreciate Ray's girlfriend blowing her cigarette smoke in his and his girlfriend's faces to which Ray points out that they are sitting in the smoking section to which the guy says he doesn't bleeping care and the conversation turns into a bit of a political tit-for-tat with Ray assuming the guy is an American and therefore arrogant and imperialistic and mentions something about Vietnam which confounds the other guy and the whole thing ends up with Ray just flat-out punching the guy, then the guy's girlfriend entering into the fray and Ray punching her in the face as well. At this time Chloe comes back to the table, surveys the scene and they both promptly leave. Ray thinks Chloe hates him when in fact she seems intrigued by him and gives him a big kiss. She then goes to make a call (important later).Back at her apartment, Ray and Chloe are very close to having sex when Chloe's boyfriend/co-conspirator (Erik) appears behind Ray with a gun to his head. Ray realizes he has been scammed, Chloe admits she and Erik have a habit of robbing tourists, Ray is pissed off because it's been months since he's had sex (he doesn't seem too concerned about the gun aimed at him) meanwhile Chloe yells at Erik asking him why he came. Obviously the phone call she made was telling him not to come as she didn't want to rob Ray. In fact it seems she really does like him. Meanwhile Erik still has the gun in his hand which Ray deftly takes with a very quick maneuver involving a head butt only to find out - when a now irate Erik brandishes a very large knife - it is loaded with blanks. Ray shoots the gun at Erik's eye at very close range and whatever makes up a blank sears Erik's eye causing him terrible pain. Erik is being very un-gunman-like, holding his hand to eye and whining pathetically. Chloe takes Erik to the hospital but on her way out tells Ray to call her.In the meantime, Ken is at the hotel when Harry calls. Not wanting to tell Harry that Ray is on a date, Ken pretends Ray is on the toilet thinking this will suffice. But no, Harry wants to know if Ray is taking a poo or just a wee. Harry then asks if Ken and Ray love Bruges as much as Harry does (from a long-ago visit). Ken is befuddled but goes along with it culminating in Harry asking Ken to get rid of Ray for half an hour so they can talk in private still unaware that Ray is already out. Ken goes through a silly charade of pretending to get rid of Ray then there is much talk about how magical and fairy-tale like Bruges is. Harry asks Ken if Ray likes Bruges as much as they do and Ken begins to tell Harry that Ray isn't as charmed with the place much to Harry's disapproval. Ken recovers quickly and makes up a story about Ray walking through the city in the fog and saying something like "it's like living a dream" which pleases Harry very much because Harry just wants Ray to experience something beautiful because he "was" a good kid. The use of the past-tense alerts Ken to Harry's plan. We see Ken's concern that he just gave Harry the green-light he wanted to eliminate Ray. Harry makes it clear that Ken must kill Ray because Ray killed the boy, accidentally or not. Ken does not want to do this, knowing full well how stricken Ray is and feeling like Ray can redeem himself. Harry informs Ken that since they were sent to Bruges without weapons, arrangements have been made for a gun to be picked up at a contact's house in Bruges and the job must be completed ASAP.Ken is conflicted with his orders, leaves the apartment and goes to a bar where he drinks 4 presumably Belgian beers in 20 minutes. Ken spies Jimmy at the other end of the bar sitting with a prostitute. In talking to Jimmy Ken learns he is American. Jimmy asks that Ken not hold it against him, Ken says he won't as long as Jimmy doesn't say anything too loud or crass. Ray then enters the same bar and upon seeing Jimmy promptly confronts him asking why he didn't wave back to him earlier. Jimmy apologizes saying he was high on horse tranquilizers (given to him by Chloe) and he didn't know what he was doing or who or where he was. Jimmy, Ray, Ken and now two prostitutes end up in Jimmy's hotel room doing drugs and making use of the prostitutes when Jimmy begins a political discussion about the inevitable race war the world is heading towards between the blacks and whites. Drunk and high, Jimmy is getting belligerent and preachy claiming the Pakistanis, the Vietnamese and basically anyone who isn't white will side with the blacks. Ray seems more amused with the prospect of a midget versus midget war while Ken is seriously annoyed because he was married to a black woman whom he loved more than anything and she was killed by a white man. He asks Jimmy given that info whose side will he be on in this supposed war. Jimmy retreats and says Ken will have to make that decision on his own. Ken is revealed to be a sensitive man capable of great love while also being a hit man. The night ends with Ken and Ray leaving abruptly and returning to their hotel.The next day Ken goes to the contact's house to the gun to kill Ray. The contact is an oddball eccentric who advises Ken if he were to murder someone he would do it in one of the alcoves in the park because they are isolated this time of year. The contact seems focused on these alcoves and an irritated Ken takes the gun and leaves. He goes back to the apartment where the proprietress greets him in the lobby remarking on what an odd person Ray is. While Ken was gone Ray had given her what appeared to be his last 200 Euros and left to go to the park. Ken goes upstairs and sees a suicide note from Ray saying he went to the park so she (the proprietress) wouldn't have to clean up the mess. (Ray has Erik's gun and bullets he stole from Chloe's apartment.) Ken rushes to the park and sees Ray sitting on a bench by a playground. Ken reluctantly readies his gun and walks up behind Ray aiming to shoot him when Ray puts his own gun to his own head. Realizing Ray is about to kill himself, Ken rushes forward and stops him just in time. A surprised Ray turns around, sees Ken's gun and realizes Ken was just about to kill him. Each one wonders aloud what the other was about to do and it's obvious to both that Ken doesn't want to kill Ray or see him kill himself. Ray breaks down, Ken tells Ray to get on a train, leave Bruges and start over that Ray is no use to anybody dead. Ken explains what Harry is up to including the fact that he sent them to Bruges because he wanted Ray to have a vacation in a nice place before he died. This is quite comic considering how passionately Ray hates the place and the look on his face says it all. Ken tells Ray he can't bring back the little boy but maybe he can save another. Ray knows that Ken is risking his own life by not killing him. Ken hands Ray the 200 Euros he'd given the proprietress and puts him on a train but not before taking Erik's gun from Ray first, fearing that Ray will just try to kill himself again.The train pulls out; Ken has made his decision and goes back to the hotel to tell Harry who is not pleased. Ken tells Harry to meet him in the square when he gets to Bruges knowing that Harry will come for him. Meanwhile on the train, Ray is at least getting the hell out of Bruges when a steward approaches Ray and accuses Ray of "heeting the Canadian". Ray has no idea what this guy is talking about when the anti-smoker from the restaurant appears and fingers Ray as the guy who attacked him. Apparently the anti-smoker was not an American but just a jerk Canadian. Ray is taken off the train and to jail... back in Bruges. Chloe bails Ray out and they wander over to the city center where they have a beer, Ray is unaware that Harry has now arrived from London and headed for the same square to meet Ken. First Harry goes to the gun contact's house where the guy goes on about the alcoves again to Harry and lo and behold the contact happens to be the uncle of Erik who is also there licking his wounds. We learn Erik was permanently blinded by the blank and wants Ray dead. Harry engages in an exchange where he puts the blame for the blindness squarely on Erik's own shoulders because he got shot by a blank from his own gun that he used in a half-assed robbery in which he held the gun to another man's head. To Harry, Erik got what he deserved and Erik is left speechless and red-faced. Back to Ray and Chloe who are drinking a beer at an outside cafe when Jimmy appears and invites them to watch the movie being filmed elsewhere. They decline but not before getting in one last laugh at the midget dressed in a school boy's uniform with a little cap on his head.Harry has now caught up with Ken at the square and knowing that Harry will kill him, Ken asks that they at least go to the tower to get it over with. On their way they walk right past a kissing Chloe and Ray and no one sees the other. Harry and Ken approach the guard/cashier (the same guy from the beginning) who says the tower is closed because some American had a heart attack while climbing the steps the day before. Harry asks the guy to do him this one favor and the guard pulls the same shtick and pointing his finger squarely in the middle of (and on!) Harry's forehead taps out that "the tower is closed! Got it?! Ken knows this will not go over well with Harry and walks onward while in the shadows we see Harry beat the crap out of the guard. Harry and Ken then ascend the tower and upon reaching the top they each marvel at the beautiful view. To Harry's surprise, Ken gives up his gun, he says he will not fight. He says he has too much respect for Harry and owes him too much to fight anymore. He goes on about this until we think Harry is just going to shoot him when then Harry throws up his arms saying now he can't shoot Ken after the nice things he just said. Frustrated, Harry tries to explain to Ken why it is Ray has to be killed. Harry thinks Ray should have killed himself the minute he realized he'd killed the boy, that's what Harry would have done (important). Ken defends Ray saying he can be redeemed and what does it matter it's done, Ray's gone and no one knows where he's going. At this point Harry shoots Ken in the thigh (not a mortal wound) saying he couldn't just let Ken get away with letting Ray go. Everything seems to be resolved, Harry is carefully helping Ken down all of the stairs one narrow step at a time when Erik sees Chloe and Ray and they ask him to join them, but he walks away.Knowing Harry is with Ken at the tower Erik meets them on the stairs and tells them that Ray is back in Bruges and he is right outside. Everything changes, both Ken and Harry go for their guns (Ken to shoot Harry to keep him from killing Ray and Harry to shoot Ken) and in the struggle that follows Harry shoots Ken through the neck but it doesn't kill him though there is a lot (a lot!) of blood. Harry runs down the stairs which apparently there are many of because in the time it takes for Harry to get halfway down a badly wounded Ken has dragged himself back up to the top of the tower leaving globby streams of blood in his wake. Ken reaches the top of the tower to try to warn Ray but the fog has moved in and he can't see anything. Ken then reaches into his breast pocket and puts away his gun, reaches into his pants pocket and pulls out the change and begins to drop the coins one by one from the tower which draws the attention of the people in the square below, including Ray and Chloe. Everyone looks up at the tower in time to see Ken launch himself off and onto the pavement below. Ken hits the ground with a sickening crush. Having seen the whole thing Ray runs over realizing at the last moment that it is Ken on the ground and he is barely alive. Ken tells Ray that Harry is in Bruges and to take Ken's gun from his pocket. A very upset Ray doesn't know what to do but he pulls the gun from underneath Ken only to find it too is broken in pieces from the impact. Frantic, Ray tries to get Ken to tell him where Erik's gun is but Ken tells Ray he's going to die now and does. Just then Harry runs out of the tower stairs and sees a dead Ken on the ground and a distraught Ray standing over him. Rays makes a run for it back to the hotel where he thinks Ken hid the gun. Harry gives chase shooting at him despite the presence of other people.Back at the hotel Ray has just enough time to get the hotel room key from the proprietress and scream at her to get away somewhere safe for her and her unborn baby's sake. Ray runs up to the room, finds the gun then hears an altercation downstairs which is the proprietress blocking Harry's way with her pregnant belly and a stunned Harry looking at this woman in total shock. The woman says it is her hotel and she will not leave to which Harry has no response and Ray hearing all of this is furious. He calls down the steps to Harry saying they have to take their gunfight somewhere else where the proprietress will be unharmed. Not sure how to do that they clumsily devise a plan to move the fight elsewhere with their guns still trained on each other and a stupefied proprietress questioning their sanity and intelligence. The plan is since the hotel sits alongside a canal, on the count of three Ray will run back into his room, jump out the window and Harry can run outside to the bridge and try to catch him in the canal. Plan made, they both just stand there, each waiting for the other to start counting with the proprietress looking on in disbelief. Harry tells Ray to count to three. Ray counts, Harry runs out the door in time to see Ray leap from his window into the canal and onto a passing boat. Ray thinking he's far enough away from Harry not to be hit is surprised when Harry shoots him from the bridge square in the stomach.At the first dock, Ray gets off the boat and continues to try to get away albeit badly hurt and again Harry gives chase. They end up at the location where Jimmy's movie is filming which is a very surreal scene with bizarre costumes and circusque people lingering around. Jimmy sees Ray and realizing something isn't right walks over to him at the same time Harry approaches Ray from behind and shoots him several times in the back just as Ray had shot the priest. We hear Ray faintly say "a little boy" before he falls over and crawls agonizingly over to the dead and horrifically disfigured body of Jimmy who was hit by one of the bullets in the forehead. Still wearing the little boy costume and unrecognizable facially, Harry sees what he thinks to be a child and saying "you have to stick to your principals" puts the gun in his mouth and kills himself.The final scene is of Chloe screaming over Ray, as he's loaded onto a gurney and into an ambulance and his voice over talking about Heaven and Hell and Purgatory and no matter what he just doesn't want to die in Bruges.

Tags: comedy, fantasy, gothic, murder, dark, suspenseful, dramatic, suicidal, cult, violence, atmospheric, flashback, psychedelic, humor, satire, romantic, revenge, entertaining

Review:
For those who might not know the name, director Martin McDonagh is an Irish playwright who won the Oscar last year for his short film "Six Shooter" about a chance encounter on a train, and that film's star Brendan Gleeson has returned as Ken, one of two hit men sent to the medieval city of Bruges in Belgium along with his partner Ray (Colin Farrell) to rest and lay low after a hit gone horribly wrong.
From there things continue to go south as Ray and Ken get into all sorts of messes and meet strange characters, all of whom will play a part in the larger picture.There aren't too many non-Belgian films set in Belgium, and Bruges is a beautiful but odd place to set an entire movie.
Those who don't recognize the voice will be thrilled when they learn who plays Harry, because it's a pleasant surprise.This is easily Colin Farrell's best role and performance in a long time, one that allows him to show a lot of range, not just as the big-mouthed prat we assume Ray to be, but also as a thoughtful man distraught about what happened in London.
Having seen the error of his ways, he feels the need to make right, even if he hides it with a lot of complaining and arguments, and that carries over to Gleason's Ken, continuing his great run with McDonagh.McDonagh has created a clever script that interweaves its small cast of characters into an intricate crime caper that mixes humor, violence and true heartfelt human emotions into a brilliant debut feature.
The ending might be somewhat grim for some tastes going by the lightness of what's gone before, but the way everything is tied together makes it all worth it.Anyone worried that Tarantino and Ritchie's best work might be behind them, can revel in the promise of McDonagh's take on the crime-comedy genre, as this talented filmmaker shows that "Six Shooter" was no fluke and this movie begins what's likely to be a long and promising film career.
Two Irish hit men (Brendan Gleeson and Colin Farrell) are sent into hiding by their British boss (Ralph Fiennes) in Bruges, Belgium after a botched job only to learn that the most damning job awaits one of them just around the corner.
Director and screenwriter Martin McDonagh bleeds the setting and the material for all its worth and makes his feature film debut in superb style.The dark comedy built around the existential quandaries of hit men has been done to death over the years.
The supporting cast is to die for, with Jordan Prentice spot-on as a coked-up dwarf actor shooting an abhorrent art film on the streets of Bruges, and Clemence Poesy coyly seductive and unforgettable as Farrell's unlikely local love interest.Ultimately "In Bruges" meanders down too many cobblestone paths, and one scene near the end involving a bell tower stretches credibility but adds necessary dramatic effect.
The forced waiting, a symbolic purgatory in both assassins' struggle for absolution, gives Brendan Gleeson and Colin Farrell a chance to act through some marvelous comic dialogue.The film itself looks like it was filmed in an area of the old city of Bruges that is no more than a 500 square metre radius.
Colin Farrell has the capacity to reach these heights as well, and in fact, in this film, shows many of the mannerisms and intensity of Russell Crowe (whom I consider to be the best actor on the planet).I appreciated the comedy and satire working hand in hand with the moral complexity of the characters' inner struggles.
It was funny in the right places and appropriately dramatic when the story shifted into high gear towards the end.Set in, no surprise here, Bruges, Belgium, the plot focuses on two London hit men, Ray played by Colin Farrell, and Ken, played by Brendan Gleeson.
And therein lies the humor, Ray has no interest in being in the medieval city, and Ken wants to sight see.I've never really liked Colin Farrell but who knew he had such a good sense of comedic timing?
Brendan Gleeson's character provides the moral center and plays the straight man to Farrell's Ray. This works well as the movie turns more serious towards the end.
Fiennes creates a character with a dubious moral center and is a quite believable figure of menace when he travels to Bruges to square off with Ken. Also, of note, is Jordan Prentice, an irritable dwarf who's in town to act in a movie filming there.
Small characters like Eric Godon's alcove loving gun dealer, Jordan Prentice as a horse-tranquilizer taking midget actor (he played Howard the Duck, that is awesome), and Clémence Poésy as the love interest and enigma Cholë all are fun and never quite feel just thrown in as jokes, but instead integral parts to the story.
The supporting work is fine from Jordan Prentice as the dwarf actor (sadly Mr. Prentice is most famous for playing Howard the Duck) and a very cute Clemence Poesy as Farrell's odd love interest.Very few writers can write dialogue like this and even fewer can juggle as many layers without making a film seem busy, crowded or forced.
Well, to be honest I wasn't sure what to expect from this film, nor am I fan of Colin Farrell, in fact I really didn't like him at all previously....but now I have a new found respect for him and with Gleason and Fienes both in excellent form coupled with a very quick and witty script and some surprisingly violent scenes, this film really has something for everyone (except the young kids).I go to see 2 or 3 movies every week and this is just about the best one I've seen since Last King of Scotland and The Departed came out a couple of years back.10/10.
No wonder writer/director Martin McDonagh's screenplay went on to be nominated for an Oscar, and co-star Colin Farrell won a Golden Globe award for Best Actor in a Comedy/Musical!
The filmmakers even spoof the "adult language" in one of the DVD's bonus features, a montage of every time the word "F***" is used in IB.Gleeson and Farrell make a great seriocomic team as Ken and Ray, two Irish hit men who have suspenseful and surreal adventures hiding out in Belgium in the magnificent city of Bruges after their latest job goes horribly, heartbreakingly wrong.
Though that might put some people off it adds to the hilarity of the situation, the contrast between this beautiful and melancholic music and scenery and the dialog that goes on between the two main characters.There is, of course, a great deal of violence, but that is to be expected of a movie about hit men.
THe fact that everything took place in Bruges makes it all the more funny, especially with all the jokes that are made about both the town and Belgium in general.There is much more that I can say but I think that the film should speak for itself, go watch it.
Within the film and its mood though, it didn't fit however and juxtaposes too much in terms of tone.However, the performances are very good, excellent in the case of Gleeson (as always) and Fiennes having tons of fun as his sinister character.
Bruges not just looks wonderful, it also is treated like a character of its own quite rightly.Similarly successful is the script, which is surprisingly intelligent with a strong balance with thought-provoking philosophical musings, very funny black comedy and character moral complexity (not making the characters likeable but it was clear early on that the intent was for them never to be so) .
Wished it had just gone a bit further.In Bruges is a dark comedy set in the beautiful medieval town of Bruges, Belgium, featuring an Irish duo of hit men who have been ordered by their boss to hide out there after a high-profile job in London went sour.
This is one of those awesome films that a viewer will either love or hate...there is no in-between.If you love it, you must have a twisted, wicked sense of humor, an open mind enough to truly appreciate well-written, intelligent dialogue and an imagination that will go along w/a plot that LOOKS like it is two jig-saw puzzles mixed together...until it all comes together brilliantly in the last 30 minutes.
Add in a performance from Colin Farrell that is SO different from the arrogant A-type character he usually plays...his "dumb" character is actually funny in this one.At the industry screening here in LA several "older types" walked out early...maybe because of the liberal use of the F-word...but the majority stayed to debate the ending and "why" it had to end the way it did.For those who hated it: you're too stupid to understand an intelligent, thought-provoking film when you see one..
He is completely disinterested in sightseeing in the beautiful medieval city (it's in Belgium) where he and and his laid-back accomplice, Ken (the ever professional Brendan Gleeson) have been sent with instructions to lay low until they get their next word from their boss, Harry (Ralph Fiennes playing a character whose job and demeanor seem very similar to those of Ben Kingsley in "Sexy Beast." That said, Fiennes, makes this role his own with his passion and intelligence).Director Martin McDonagh, as mentioned, has a flare for capturing the ultimately sad human essence of hit men.
It's rare to find a film that can go from hilarious comedy to dark violence and genuine emotion without compromising either the humour or the drama but this one does it time and again.The cast are excellent, Gleeson is good as the sensible adult figure while Farrell is brilliant as the comic and immature lead.
The supporting cast are all good, everyone is believable.The humour is often very politically incorrect but never in a nasty way, the dialogue is superb and there are some great set pieces and unexpected comic twists to catch you by surprise and make you laugh out loud.The dramatic side handles a very dark and emotional subject very deftly with believable switches from humour to sadness and the leads really earn there money by pulling those switches off seamlessly.There is a lot of action and violence especially towards the end and this throws in ideas that I had never seen used before.If you liked the film "Intermission" you'll definitely like this, but this has more and better jokes and the plot is far more interesting.I've rarely left a cinema feeling I got as much value for my money as I did with this film..
It charts a handful of days in the lives of two hired killers, after a job in London goes wrong, and they are sent to "cool off and lay low" in a rather unexpected place: Brujes, Belgium.The reason they are sent there becomes apparent once we have already been drawn well into the plot, and have developed empathy for the main characters, which makes everything that happens to them in the final act all the more resonant.Without spoiling it, as I believe this film is one of the least predictable ones I have seen in years, the reason they are sent to this little-known place (in Cinema, at least) partly involves the fact that "Brujes is like a fairy tale city".Since I dearly treasure the feeling of going to the cinema and being pleasantly surprised throughout the length of a film, both by its quality acting and original plot, I shall simply tell you that I was amused and laughed throughout, I felt pity, I felt pain, I felt hope.
There are several very interesting characters floating around Bruges with Ray & Ken many of whom have good lines and memorable presence in the film: Tourists, drug dealers, a dwarf and a ticket seller, all with their part to play and who play it well.
Dark comedies are hard to master, and this is certainly the most worthwhile I have seen since Lethal Weapon creator Shane Black's Kiss Kiss Bang Bang; especially with far lesser attempts such as War Inc. fouling up the pond.Bruges, the capital of West Flanders in Belgium (pronounced 'Broo-jiz') serves as the quirky setting for second time director Martin McDonagh, and the cinematography and art direction immerses the viewer into this abstract setting.
This beguiling fable follows two hit men, the distraught and emotionally fragile Ray (Colin Farrell) and the gentle fatherly Ken (Brendan Gleeson) sent by their irritable and emotionally erratic employer Harry (Ralph Fiennes) to Bruges to fulfill a hit.
These circumstances sway the line between a dreamworld and the bleak reality of the duos proffesions, but never to the extent where the film could be considered a physiological bind-bender by any means.Colin Farrell has always been a solid actor, but needs to rethink his agent, as his roles carry from routine action flicks which leave him emotionally grounded, to art house flops that become far to precious and quirky for their own good.
While they await further instructions, the two talk over things, travel round the city, get involved with some of the cast and crew making a film and generally fail to stay out of trouble or maintain a low profile.In Bruges was sold as a hilarious comedy and this in combination with the names involved made me want to check it out.
The darker it gets the less it works and the ending is not as strong as the first half of the film but mostly the darkly comic and brutal material does work thanks to the really good playing from the three main actors, while Bruges itself provides a picturesque background.
Ray (Colin Farrell) & Ken (Brendan Gleeson) are two Irish hit men who are sent to lie low in the beautiful city of Bruges by their gangster boss Harry Waters (Ralph Fiennes).
Oh, and since Gleeson and Farrell are Irish, and Irish people are inherently cuter and more interesting than anyone else on the planet (this movie thinks) their banal, F-work larded comments are all the more valuable.And, of course, every twenty minutes or so the screen is spattered with blood as another character dies.You get the idea.Here's the thing  the director and script writer, the inherently cute and smart (because Irish) Martin McDonagh, doesn't know anything at all about crime or hit men or how bodies react to bullets.
McDonagh doesn't even know the make of the guns he shows on screen.But McDonagh knows that he'd never be able to sell a movie about two Irish accountants, say, or two Irish sanitation workers, or two Irish school teachers, strolling around a poorly lit (because this is a low budget movie) Bruges trading banal observations about how effing wonderful effing beer effing is, so he makes his characters hit men, and, voila, suddenly everything they say is ultra fascinating, or funny, or profound, in a way that it would not be had they been common working slobs.This could be called the Big-Mac-in-France trick.
There is also drug-taking as in Tarantino's movie, but this film is non-league compared to Pulp Fiction's Premiership status.As in Pulp Fiction, the hit-men work for a scary Mr. Big character, here played by Ralph Fiennes (in one of his worst performances) instead of Ving Rhames.
I have no problem touching on taboos for humour but it should be funny, and some of the lines were just plain offensive with no real comedic value.The only good thing about this was Bruges.Martin McDonagh fails in this movie.
Colin Farrell plays a character similar to his recent turn in CASSANDRA'S DREAM, except that he shows his range by assuming an Irish accent, and Brendan Gleeson adds some weight -- no pun intended -- and kills any comedy by his serious and excellent acting.
You might come out of it wanting to go home and have a bit of a cry about how nothing really made you feel like justice had been done, or your brain had been pleasured.For a start, you'd better be prepared to hear one of the two main protagonists, Ray (Colin Farrell), whinge and whine about how he just HATES Bruges, every 5 minutes or so in the movie.
I'd like to see a dozen more this year.Though the plot is simple, Bruges,Ken--Brendan Gleeson, and Ray-- Colin Farrell's profane, crass Irish assassins are as funny as it gets.
The two main characters (Colin Farrell and Brendan Gleeson) turn in compelling performances that convince the viewer that this not a movie, but a documentary of a real event.Overall, I highly recommend it for anybody who enjoys thought provoking cinema, and doesn't mind if it's a bit on the dark side..
The acting is absolutely brilliant (kudos to Colin Farrell, most likely his best performance ever), the script well written and overall it is just what a movie should be, a balanced combination of humor, action and drama!
Being Farrel and Gleeson two irish hit mens working in London, and after a job went bad and told to hide in Bruges.
In Bruges starring Colin Farrell, Brendan Gleeson and Ralph Fiennes is a well played dark comedy for those who relish the poetic use of obscenities.
The visuals are nicely shot catching the quaintness of little Brugge in all it's diminutive Glory.The acting is also spot on with the main leads providing excellent portrayal of their characters; Fiennes is brilliant, Gleeson is noble and Farrel is frankly hilarious in what is the best part I've seen him play.This film comes highly recommended, so much so that I had to spit out 10 lines of a review on here for the first time.
The Irish hit-men Ken (Brendan Gleeson) and Ray (Colin Farrell) are sent by the Londoner mobster Harry Waters (Ralph Fiennes) to Bruges, a medieval Belgium city, in Christmas after an awry job in London.
So about the script.Movie is about two professional killers Ken (Brendan Gleeson) and Ray (Colin Farrell) who come in Bruges on some sort of vacation.