As I enjoy all things Colin Farrell, going to see In Bruges was a no brainer. The film did not disappoint.
Farrell and Brendan Gleeson play a pair of hitmen friends (Ray and Ken) sent to Bruges to wait out a hit gone awry (Ray accidentally kills a little boy as well as his target). Ken’s high brow appreciation of Bruges’s medieval culture is partnered with Ray’s more low-brow focus — getting drunk, high, and laid as a means to self-medicate his guilt over killing a kid. A very sympathetic Ray says all the things people are thinking but usually have the tact not to say — Midget/dwarf jokes run rampant throughout the film as do his bitter commentaries on being stuck in Bruges. Their boss Harry, played by Ralph Fiennes, takes himself far too seriously ala Bateman of American Psycho.
The films also attempts to cover Ray’s redemption less successfully. Though he’s torn up about killing a kid, the funny situational comedy skips beats when trying to dwell on the seriousness of the accidental kill.
The trailer below does not do the film justice.
February 17, 2008 at 4:42 pm |
You’re right, the trailer does not sell the film well. I was reluctant to see it, but it ended up being quite surprising and a great film.
Check out my review:
http://davethenovelist.wordpress.com/2008/02/17/a-review-of-martin-mcdonaghs-in-bruges/
March 12, 2008 at 1:10 pm |
I just saw this movie this past weekend and really liked it. Definitely not what I expected either, but in a good way.