In Bruges

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IN BRUGES is the best movie I've seen so far this year. Granted, I've seen very few 2008 films, but the reality is that there have not been many that I've had a desire to see.

Written and directed by Martin McDonagh, IN BRUGES is a quirky, totally unpredictable dark comedy that stars Colin Farrell and Brendan Gleeson as a pair of Dublin hit men, who are sent to the small Belgium city by their crime lord boss (Ralph Fiennes) to hide out after their last contract killing goes terribly wrong.

Gleeson becomes very touristy, wanting to savor everything about Europe's most well-preserved medieval city, but Farrell is totally bored until he encounters a Dutch film crew and a couple of people involved with the shoot.

I'm not going to reveal any more details about the story, because I don't want to spoil its many surprises.

IN BRUGES is, essentially, a gangster movie, but unlike so many other pictures of this genre, its characters are endowed with a humanity that allows them to change for the better. Like the plot, writer-director McDonagh's dialogue is refreshingly witty.

© Michael B. Druxman, author of ONCE UPON A TIME IN HOLLYWOOD

This isn't a movie for everyone. Anyone that is picking this up based on the blurbs that it is a comedy might want to pause. It is in fact a comedy...a dark comedy and that isn't for everyone. So don't watch it thinking it's a movie Adam Sandler or Will Ferrell could have been in. It's not that. It's violent. It's fun. It has a good story. And....it is very funny in a dark way.

What would you do if a man you were about to kill suddenly put a gun to his own head? Would you shoot anyway? Let him finish the job? Or would you try to stop him? Who cares? Anyone who says this movie is clever must be missing a substantial (and important) portion of his or her gray matter. The situation these two are in is mind numbingly absurd. I've seen episodes of "The Smurfs" (A Belgian comic strip that later became a popular U.S. cartoon show) that had more of a basis in reality and a better overall plot line.

This movie drags on and on from one uninteresting and unrealistic moment to another. It's peppered with typical anti-American sentiment you find in almost any Euro-trash film. They actually make fun of the fat ugly American tourist as though that hasn't been done one hundred and fifty million times before. I'm laughing out loud as I write this. The writing is so poor. The ideas are so irrelevant. The dialog isn't worth printing on toilet paper! How could they make this into a movie? How could it be getting good reviews?!?!?

In Bruges follows the misadventures of two British hitmen, veteran Ken, played by Brendan Gleason and rookie killer Ray, played by Colin Farrell. After a hit that Ray performs goes horribly wrong, their boss, gangster Harry, sends them to Bruges, Belgium for a cooling off period. Ken enjoys the history and the scenery while Ray is bored and looking for action. The two wait for days to hear from Harry. When Harry calls, he orders Ken to kill Ray. Hilarity and horrors ensue.

While there are several supproting characters that weave in and out of the story, the film is really about the Ken, Ray, and Harry. Ken is older and wiser than Ray, but actually likes the younger killer a lot. He's very conflicted with his orders, not just because his boss will kill him if he does obey, but because he owes Harry a lot besides employment. Ray is a young, edgy simpleton charmer who on one hand can't wait to get back to London to enjoy the fast pace of the big city, but on theo ther hand is tormented by the gruesome nature of his botched assignment. Harry is a perpetually vile, ruthless criminal and a loving husband and father, which plays a lot into his wanting Ray dead.

In Bruges presents a lot of meditativeness on the spontaneity of life, the fleeting nature of the same, and all of the funny and strange things that happen to us along the way. This film is definitely not for the squeamish, but has lots of humor, and is worth viewing.

"In Bruges" is playwright Martin McDonagh's first feature as a director. He had previously won an Oscar for the Best Live Action Short in 2005 for "Six Shooter." The film mixes comedy and blood in an oddball romp. Colin Farrell who is well known for films like Ask the Dust, Veronica Guerin & Phone Booth does a good job as the jumpy assassin Ray. Ray makes the mistake in a church hit of accidentally blowing the head off of a young boy. This causes he & his partner Ken to lay low for a while in Bruges, Belgium, a town where purportedly nothing ever happens. Ken is played by Brendan Gleeson who is perhaps best known as Evil Eye in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (Widescreen Edition) as well as his appearance in Cold Mountain (Two-Disc Collector's Edition). The fact that Ken is gay and Ray is not does cause a bit of restlessness, particularly on the part of Ray who anxiously waits to go round the town where he bumps into a girl watching a film being made. Their boss Harry calls Ken and tells him to put a hit on Ray, which then has bad guy chasing bad guy. Ralph Fiennes who had Oscar nominations for "Schindler's List" & "The English Patient" shows up to finish the job Ken apparently couldn't do. Eric Godon makes a nice appearance as the lowlife Yuri. This film is pure black comedy with the emphasis on characterization and finding levels even within a criminal life. This classic marriage of opposites worked for me. Enjoy!