Two Irish contract killers spend a fortnight recuperating in Brussels following a bungled job. Highly strung Ray (Colin Farrell) struggles to adjust to Bruges’ lack of excitement, while veteran Ken (Brendan Gleeson) relishes the quiet streets and historic monuments.
As the duo await instructions from their boss Harry (Ralph Fiennes), they begin to feel the peculiar effects of Europe's waffle city - and the longer they wait, the weirder (and funnier) things get.
Oh great, you pout, just what the world needs, another film about hitmen. Hold onto your big lip though, as this one is rather good.
They say:
TimeOut: "McDonagh’s sense of the absurd never falters."
Channel 4: "The cast of In Bruges seize upon an invigorating script and defy expectations."
Empire: "With In Bruges, the British gangster movie gets a Croydon facelift."
We say:
You can't deny Bruges is a beautiful looking city when you see it sparkling like a three carat diamond on the big screen. Though whether or not it’s going to claim your heart might be much like your reaction to the film itself. For all its visual beauty the pace can be slow and meandering. The film or the city? Well, both really.
Bruges (the locale) reflects the mood of its characters perfectly. Particularly the excruciating guilt of Colin Farrell's Ray. You can see why he does not like the place, it is too quiet. He craves London, where he can hide from his demons amongst the noise and hedonistic debris.
This picture has been made with real care and attention, producing the kind of experience that reminds you why going to the cinema was so much fun in the first place. It's amusing and melancholy in all the right spots and barely hits a bum note.
Colin Farrell has been teetotal now for three years, but he still trembles on screen like a man ready to erupt. He is a jittery presence, obviously handsome, yet more of a rock star than an actor. He performs, not embodies - and yet he does so with absolute conviction. If he ever fancies a change, cinema's loss would be theatre's gain.
Brendan Gleeson is likewise terrific, but in a vastly different way. He's the kind of guy you could pass on the street without noticing. That is the point - his anonymity serves the role alongside his real life persona as a classy character actor.
Not afraid to dabble in blockbusters, just like his co star, Gleeson remains firmly committed to his craft. They have a moving father/son chemistry too, with Gleeson holding the reins as Farrell stomps about town like a stroppy ten year old.
The supporting cast are fine, even temperamental Ralph Fiennes roaring like Ben Kingsley’s long lost brother from Sexy Beast. Thekla Reuten as hotel owner Marie is sharply bewitching, as is Farrell's drug dealer love interest Clémence Poésy. Jordan Prentice's performance as vertically challenged Ketamine fiend Jimmy is more an extended skit than a part, but no less enjoyable for it.
In Bruges treads a familiar path towards a conclusion that is flagged, deliberately it seems, from the outset. This is not about the end, but the journey. It's a film where heartfelt emotion sits happily alongside karate chopping a racist dwarf in the throat.
A laid back trip with a wicked sense of humour, this is an unapologetically lyrical outing. The perfect example of a filmed play. Note we did say 'perfect example'.
CAST
Colin Farrell
Brendan Gleeson
Ralph Fiennes
Clemence Poesy
DIRECTOR
Martin McDonagh
TIME
107 mins
POSTED...
Mon 21 Apr at 2:58pm
