"In Bruges" is a fun dark comedy about two hit men ordered to hide out in Bruges, a small tourist town in Belgium, after a hit gone bad. The two men's reactions are starkly different. Ray, played by Colin Farrell, hates Bruges. He's not interested in any of the touristy things, so he considers Bruges a "shithole" where there's nothing to do. Ken, played by Brendan Gleeson (you may have seen him as Mad Eye Mooney in the Harry Potter films or the father in 28 Days Later,") thinks Bruges is beautiful, and loves visiting all the medieval buildings, etc. Naturally, wacky adventures ensue for the pair in Bruges.
"In Bruges" features excellent acting. I'm not a Colin Farrell fan, but this is the best performance I've seen him deliver. Ralph Fiennes turns in a fun, memorable, change of pace performance as Ray and Ken's boss. The highlight of the movie, though, is Gleeson. He turns in a stellar performance, making you really identify with Ken, despite the fact that he is, after all, a hit man.
The first half of the movie is a inconsistent, with certain scenes dragging on, and some scenes not nearly as funny as the film makers seem to think. The second half, though, is quite strong, managing to be funny, moving, and suspenseful at the same time. If you've read much of this blog, you know that I usually prefer movies that leave the ending a little open ended, rather than wrapped up in a bow, and I loved the ending to "In Bruges." If you like black humor, I'd definitely recommend this movie.
Final Grade: B
Sunday, February 24, 2008
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