The opening shots of In Bruges—sweeping views of the eponymous Belgian town’s brick houses, lush countryside and cobblestone streets, accompanied by streams of obscenities by Colin Farrell—set the tone for a smart black comedy filled with comedic juxtapositions.
In Bruges follows two Irish hit-men, Ray (Colin Farrell) and Ken (Brendan Gleeson), who are temporarily exiled by their London-based boss while the attention surrounding their latest job fades away. Ray is the younger of the two, distressed over the duo’s banishment; he compares it to being in hell for all eternity (one of his few complaints that are appropriate for print). His weary partner Ken, on the other hand, is pleasantly surprised by their picturesque surroundings, and seems more than content to see the sights. Both men, though, are still haunted by the botched hit that forced them into hiding, and each scene is subtly influenced by this crime.
English playwright Martin McDonagh brilliantly navigates his first directing and screenwriting effort. Using the rapid dialogue usually found on stage, he manages to escape the awkwardness that can plague first-time film directors who are accustomed to working in a theater. The camera moves deftly across the different settings, expertly cutting back and forth between characters. The script itself is delightfully politically incorrect, but the film’s humor sometimes works to its disadvantage. In Bruges deals with dark themes—after all, it’s a movie about murder—and all too often, an actor utters a smart one-liner in an attempt to lighten the mood, where it would have been best to leave it.
Despite the script’s missteps, the actors themselves are shockingly good. Farrell is at his snarky best, cheekily complaining like a younger brother when Ken drags him along to churches and parks. But his flirtatious smiles cover up the guilt left over from his life in London, and Farrell believably plays a young man grappling with paralyzing remorse, rather than a morose cliché or another one-note wise-cracking hit-man. Gleeson’s Ken plays the fatherly role, a hard-working assassin who finds something he never expected in Belgium—a chance to come to terms with his past. As their boss, Harry (Ralph Fiennes) is just as diabolical as when he plays Voldemort in Harry Potter. Fiennes brutally interrupts the calm scenery, taking obvious joy in stealing every scene.
In Bruges succeeds by being electrifying and funny while refusing to glorify its protagonists’ actions. The movie’s shootouts and chases gain depth from the characters’ struggles, and the film remains darkly comic to the very last shot.
