Ever since
“Pulp Fiction” the seemingly average hit-man who talks about everyday things
and over-analyzes his surroundings seems to now be a hallmark in
gangster/hit-man movies. Rarely is it
done well, with style and profound impact on character. Even rarer is the high quality and great
visual style of a first-time director. Writer/Director
Martin McDonagh’s film “In Bruges” is a fantastic little film about hit-men and
the baggage they carry because of the horrible things that they do.
Ray (Colin
Farrell) and his partner Ken (Brendan Gleeson) are hiding out in Bruges,
Belgium after a hit went bad. While the
elder Ken wants to sight see in the “fairy tale” like little town, the young
Ray wants to know what the next move is and is in no way swayed by the beauty
of Bruges. The pair walk around, take a boat,
see the sights, annoy tourists, and as it would happen end up in a hotel with
two hookers, drugs, and a dwarf played by Jordan Prentice, whose career began
in 1986 when he played the role of Howard the Duck.
Things
eventually get intense when Ray meets a girl and Ken discovers why they were
sent to Bruges in the first place. After
a call he receives from their boss Harry (Ralph Fiennes) who feels a little
like a caricature of a British villain, but still manages to pull it off. Watching it you can still see why Farrell is
a really good actor dispite some of the roles he takes, and Brendan Gleeson is
magic in every scene he is in, which is most of the movie. The film has tremendous heart, it nails the emotional beats, and has a great ending
so while I didn't catch it back in ’08, that is the power if DVR, you get to see those
little gems you missed. If you can catch
it on cable, give it a view. Also come
back soon for a review of McDonagh’s latest flm “Seven Psychopaths”
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