Review
In
Bruges
(2008)
Considering our two main characters are
murderers, neither of whom have any
problem telling a fat person they're fat, or a
midget they're....well, a midget, one might be
surprised to learn just how far their
sympathy will stretch, given a pretty view.
Such is the conflict at the heart of IN
BRUGES.
Following a botched assassination, which
results in the accidental shooting of a little
boy, hit men Ray (Colin Farrell) and Ken
(Brendan Gleeson) find themselves
dispatched to Bruges (it's in Belgium), to
await further instructions from their boss
Harry (Ralph Fiennes).
Plot is secondary here, writer/director Martin
McDonagh fascinated more with how his
characters think and behave.
McDonagh worked in the theatre, as a
playwright, yet, outside of an astonishing ear
for dialogue, there is nothing theatrical about
his feature film debut. Instead, the film
making is surprisingly delicate, given the
subject matter.
The film's twists play on the audience's
expectations. We know whats coming, but
more importantly, the filmknowswe know,
leading to some very nasty surprises.
Beyond the barrage of 'F' words (and there
are plenty), the dialogue is nothing short of
brilliant, a twisted parfait of profanity. No
taboo is left un-broken. Race, homosexuals,
priests, disabled children on see-saws, its all
fair game here. And yet, none of it is there
for shock value. Its all part of McDonagh's
ploy to see how far he can push the audience
with these characters. You feel sympathy for
Ray, despite the fact he’s the kind of person
who has zero problem exclaiming
"If i grew up on a farm and was retarded,
Bruges might impress me."
Farrell is brilliant here, delivering an achingly
human portrait of a man who, deep down,
knows his number is up, and who has only
two speeds: excess and dead stop.