Having just finished watching In Bruges i thought i would write a quick review.
Overall, the movie left a great impression on me, in part but because not being a huge Colin Farrell fan i thought he put up a rather solid performance. Lets face it his version of Alexander wasn't exactly inspiring and Miami Vice plain out sucked (not to mention Daredevil which was one of the worst superhero movies i have ever seen).
Anyway, for some reason i could fully not match this actor to any of his previous roles (although he did come close in SWAT) yet i think his boyish charm, flamboyancy and "innocent" recklessness (and at times silly goofiness) finally made a match in the role of Ray, an aspiring hit man who underneath all the "kill people for money" front turns out to be a decent, good-hearted man who is heavily burdened by his horrible mistake of "accidentally" killing a little boy while on the job. Anyway, yes i was impressed. Good job Colin.
Enough about Colin, on to the movie: Martin McDonagh tells a clever story in which two hit men wind up in the beautiful surroundings of Bruges while laying low after a botched job on the orders of their boss Harry (played by the very talented Ralph Fiennes (note: is it me or did Mr. Fiennes borrow heavily from Ben Kingsley's Don Logan in Sexy Beast and The Rabbi in Lucky Number Slevin?). Bruges serves as the setting for a number of events that (think coincidental as in Snatch) come together in an ending that reflects on the meaning of life... to an extent. This is an action movie first and foremost as shootouts, blood and gore are given great detail and fabulously clash with the old architecture of Bruges. It is also a story of self discovery. In fact this movie seems to be about the difference, the contrast and the underlying closeness of our lives. The accent on intonation and repetition in the dialogs, the mix of racial and cultural differences, the softness and ease of the developing love story (Clémence Poésy (Fleur Delacour in Harry Potter and the goblet of fire as best known in the U.S.) has this "something" about her that makes her fit perfectly into her role of Chloe, Ray's love interest), the meaning of friendship (Brendan Gleeson was perfectly cast for the role of Ken, Ray's partner), loyalty and morales, the beauty of Burges and the cold brutal violence - somehow it all works when put together. In fact the movie can be read as a poem. A tragic poem... with both a possibly happy and sad ending at the same time.
If you love Guy Ritchie movies you will love this one. One thing i would suggest is watch it alone, at home, on a nice wide-screen TV with a glass of fine scotch. I promise you will be entertained and who knows, you might even draw some food for thought out of this one.
Verdict: 8.5 out of 10.
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