Blessed with the same moribund wit and explosive violence as his Oliver
Award-winning stage plays, Martin McDonagh's feature film directorial
debut is a gloriously offbeat jaunt through modern day Belgium in the
company of two hopelessly mismatched hit men.
The majestic belfry towers and rosary stalls of Bruges provide the
unlikely backdrop for a blackly humorous tale of betrayal and
redemption.
McDonagh's ear for dialogue is acute as ever and he gifts Colin Farrell
and Brendan Gleeson some wonderfully foul-mouthed exchanges in which
their hapless assassins debate the pleasures of sightseeing versus
continental beer, with unexpectedly moving consequences.
The Belgian tourist board will be delighted with glimpses of many of the
city's most popular tourist attractions including the 15th century
Jerusalem Church, the Basilica of the Holy Blood and the Groeninge
Museum with its rich collection of Flemish expressionist art.
However, the beautiful market square and surrounding side streets are
spattered with enough blood to suggest the characters won't be welcome
back any time soon.
In the aftermath of a bungled hit that results in the senseless death of
a little boy in church, gunmen for hire Ray (Farrell) and Ken (Gleeson)
head for the continent to await instructions from their fiery-tempered
crime boss, Harry (Fiennes).
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Ken is delighted by the unexpected detour - "Bruges is the
best-preserved medieval city in Belgium!" he gushes, eagerly compiling a
full itinerary of historical hotspots.
IN BRUGES (18, 107 mins) Comedy/Drama. Director: Martin McDonagh.
Released: April 18 (UK)
However, Ray is unmoved by the cobbled streets and breathtaking gothic
architecture.
Like a petulant teenager, he wastes no time in letting Ken know that he
would rather wile away the hours drowning his sorrows and flirting with
some of the locals.
That night, Ray plies his Oirish charm on beautiful drug dealer Chloe
(Poesy) and Ken finally makes contact with Harry and is given his next
assignment, one which he must keep secret from his partner in crime.
Racked with guilt, Ken seeks a way out of his predicament while ray also
befriends a dwarf American actor called Jimmy (Prentice), who is
shooting a film in the city, and will play a pivotal role in the hit
men's fate.
In Bruges relies on the quickfire verbal jousting between Gleeson and
Farrell and both actors are in fine form, contrasting Ken's paternal
calm with Ray's manic and profanely funny antics, which involve punching
an American woman in a crowded restaurant.
Rapport between the leads is interrupted by a slightly undernourished
romantic subplot, and the arrival of Fiennes' Mr Big, complete with a
Cockney accent that sounds like a poor imitation of Ben Kingsley's hard
man in Sexy Beast.
Tensions between the crime boss and his underlings escalate into a
full-blown running battle.
"Why don't you put your guns down and go home?" demands a hotelier
meekly.
"Don't be stupid," sneers Harry, "this is the shoot-out." That told her.
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