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IN BRUGES
In Bruges
Following a bungled job, a couple of hit men are cooling their heels in Bruges. Then Harry arrives with new orders from London. score

3+
moviereview rates films from
1 (unwatchable) to 5 (unmissable)
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Cast
Colin Farrell, Brendan Gleeson, Ralph Fiennes, Eric Godon, Clemence Poesy

Director
Martin McDonagh

Screenwriter
Martin McDonagh

Country

UK / Belgium

Rating / Running Time
MA / 107 minutes

Australian Release
September 2008

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(c) moviereview 2006-2008
ABN 72 775 390 361
In a world of political correctness gone mad, it’s refreshing to find the polar opposite. For if In Bruges is anything, it is wildly, deliciously, incorrect. “They’re filming midgets!” whoops a delighted Ray (Colin Farrell) to his mate Ken (Brendan Gleeson), a couple of hit men who have stumbled onto the set of a European art film starring an American dwarf. It reflects the general tone of mischief making that percolates through this inky black comedy-drama.

Ray and Ken are cooling their heels in Bruges after a bungled job, waiting on orders from the ethereal Harry (Ralph Fiennes). Ray is troubled by recent events but considerably more anxious about  ‘fucking Bruges. If I grew up on a farm, and was retarded, it might impress me. I didn’t, it doesn’t.” Ken is happy to play tourist and soak up sights. Enter the dwarf.

There’s something of Joe Orton about McDonagh (The Pillowman) and his enthusiasm to shock, verbally or visually. Few opportunities are passed over as Ray and Ken descend into a surreal world of prostitutes, drug dealers and tourist boats. Then Harry arrives and the waiting game turns into something altogether more brutal. It’s an exuberant experience – one that manages to be broad, foul, poignant, funny and touching, all at once.

Farrell and Gleeson are an unlikely couple and the perfect foil for Fiennes who steals the camera in a terrifyingly righteous performance (think Samuel L. Jackson from Croydon). Together they recall the Coen Brothers and early Tarantino for droll wit, gleeful invective and extreme violence, a creation that tears through boundaries in frightening, questionable and riveting ways.

Although McDonagh’s approach is choppy and confusing, it makes for a strangely hypnotic experience. Few stories are as unpredictable as this, or a wildly entertaining. Fewer still keep you hooked until the grandiose, utterly unexpected payoff. In Bruges is a bittersweet Belgian chocolate box of a film, and you never know what you’re gonna get next.

// COLIN FRASER