In Bruges
In Bruges is marketed as a much faster-paced shoot-’em-up than it ultimately is. This is not a bad thing, but it might come as a surprise to a moviegoer. However, like the enjoyment of Bruges the city, taking it slow and savoring the quieter moments brings a great deal of pleasure in the copious details. Colin Ferrell and Brendan Gleeson are two Irish hitmen hiding out after a botched job. Ferrell is his cocky self, a rookie in a sexy, dangerous profession, who is finally getting a sense of what he really signed up for. Gleeson is an old hand, but also has learned to appreciate the beauty when there’s so much ugliness elsewhere. They’re sent to Bruges by their terrifying boss (Ralph Fiennes) who stays off camera for far too long. When Fiennes is talking, the energy and comedy of the movie definitely spikes.
Ferrell finds Bruges to be, well, a toilet, and Gleeson is sanguinely making the most of their exile. This is to our benefit, as we get to accompany them on canal tours and cathedral visits as well as follow their story. Much of Acts I & II involve their odd couple bickering over how to spend their time in this fairy tale city (Pub or museum? Art or girls?), and chronicling Ferrell’s attempts to escape Gleeson’s steadying hand. Enter gorgeous and morally suspect Chloe and defensive, American little person Jimmy (Clemence Poesy and Jordan Prentice) to bring new excitement and temptations to Bruges.
After a whirlwind of chuckles, profanities, and painfully beautiful footage of this gorgeous medieval Flemish city, Fiennes finally appears. He’s as dangerous as Amon Goeth and Voldemort together, but for some reason he made me roll laughing with every word he said. Two conversations he has with Gleeson (one on the phone, one in a café) are testaments to the not-yet-lost art of witty banter and British Isles dryness. Once he gets more directly involved, the stakes go up and Ferrell’s character becomes instantly more interesting.
Chloe and Jimmy and a skinhead called Eric float in and out of Ferrell’s Bruges experience, providing plot fodder, surreal hilarity, distractions from his crushing guilt, and a final great/terrible punchline. You might also recognize Lost’s Thekla Rueten as the proprietress of their inn. Ferrell’s character’s journey is amusingly circular, though it’s hard to really empathize with his stubbornness. Gleeson gets a chance to be sunny and ruthless, weak and honorable, and terrifically funny in a low-key way.
Writer/director Martin McDonagh’s only other work is Six Shooter, another darkly comedic movie featuring Gleeson and the Irish sensibility. I haven’t seen Six Shooter, but In Bruges inclines me to do so. Go for the scenery, stay for the Act III climax.
MPAA Rating R-strong bloody violence, pervasive drug use, violence
Release date 2/29/08 (Poland)
Time in minutes 107
Director Martin McDonagh
Studio Focus Features
