'In Bruges' isn't too complex (not that complexity is necessary, I just don't want to be writing for more than a few hours - it is already 3:10) but it is close to my heart. To be honest, I think I'm a little biased towards it for some reason, though I can't put my finger on exactly what I love so much, but that will probably be reflected in my score.
If nothing else the movie is a great advert for Bruges. I haven't been, but after seeing the host of old buildings (especially, for me, the fortified medieval ones and the pointy colourful wooden ones that were giving me deja vu of Bergen), the lovely Flemish art, and the comparatively (when compared to, say, Venice) waste-free canals (sorry Venice, you're really great but your canals do smell) I'm already packing my bag. And not the small backpack from school, the big blue one that smells of sheep. Because I'll be hanging around. "It's like a fucking fairytale".
The setting is perfect. Not too intrusive, but helps to develop our characters as they sight see, and fills in the emotional silences between the excellently written dialogue. The first section of the movie is all about the set up. We learn about Ray and Ken, why they're there, who they are. Both characters are likeable in their own way, and both are believable. This is where the setting really helps develop the duo, as a trip to a church shows how Rays ignorance and childishness contrasts with Kens thoughtful stillness, and the local art gallery prompts Ray to ask Ken about mortality, morality, and the afterlife. We discover that the pair are assassins, and that they have been moved to Bruges after Ray accidentally killed a kid during his first job, with Ken as his instructor (and the one who recommended him to their boss in the first place).
The other characters do their job too, and are mostly engaging. The villain is the kind of mobby London guy that we've seen before named Harry (Ralph Fiennes) who does what he does best here ("You're a fucking inanimate object!"). Harry is introduced over the phone in a deliciously chilling scene that turns from comedy to dread in the blink of an eye, and I kind of assumed we wouldn't be seeing him in person, but I was glad that we did, as he's a lot of fun later on. An interesting twist on Harry is how he lives his life by his own twisted morals, and I found myself thinking of the Sopranos and the similarities in morals between Tony and our cockney Voldemort.
There is also a droning gun salesman, a racist dwarf, a Canadian, a one-eyed pussy, a pregnant hotelier, and a girl. Of all these characters, the girl is my least favourite. She is Ray's drug dealing love interest and her acting falls a little flat, but she does OK and it doesn't really tarnish the movie.
All these characters come together and move apart repeatedly, in a very satisfying and self-aware kind of a way. There's even a movie within the movie. The self-awareness is by no means a bad thing, as it is done very subtly. While you may be thinking 'ah I see what they're doing here' as you watch 'In Bruges', it won't take you out of the story. At several points the plot at the beginning is mirrored with that of the end (I don't want to ruin it for you by going into detail, but my favourite example of this is the scenes with Ken in the bell tower, and the 'we can see something coming' feeling the viewer gets with the kids, the dwarf, and suicide), and you are carried through these devices with no more than a gentle nudge to get you to notice them.
While the serious aspects really provide the backbone of this movie, comedy flows throughout it, and this is what really fleshes the piece out. Some of the scenes really had me lolling. Lolling my tongue out the side of my mouth as I panted, because I had been laughing so much. Some of my favourites were Ray telling a herd of average sized American tourists that they were too fat to go up some spiral stairs (and I didn't notice this on the first viewing, but later on it is mentioned that "an American" has had a heart attack whilst climbing them), a dwarfs drug - fueled racist rant that ended in karate, and a onetwothree go! playground race between Ray and Harry.
The shots are all well done, with lots of cool lighting used for exterior, and warm for interior scenes. This isn't super imaginative, but works as it fits in with the mood of the plot at the time. cuts tent to be long, especially in establishing shots, and while I feel the drag of this in some movies, in 'In Bruges' the setting practically calls out for it. These long still takes are contrasted sharply towards the end, when there are far more frequent cuts and shaking cameras, which highlights the action nicely.
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| He looks like a brilliant Irish shoulder toad. |
While the serious aspects really provide the backbone of this movie, comedy flows throughout it, and this is what really fleshes the piece out. Some of the scenes really had me lolling. Lolling my tongue out the side of my mouth as I panted, because I had been laughing so much. Some of my favourites were Ray telling a herd of average sized American tourists that they were too fat to go up some spiral stairs (and I didn't notice this on the first viewing, but later on it is mentioned that "an American" has had a heart attack whilst climbing them), a dwarfs drug - fueled racist rant that ended in karate, and a onetwothree go! playground race between Ray and Harry.
The shots are all well done, with lots of cool lighting used for exterior, and warm for interior scenes. This isn't super imaginative, but works as it fits in with the mood of the plot at the time. cuts tent to be long, especially in establishing shots, and while I feel the drag of this in some movies, in 'In Bruges' the setting practically calls out for it. These long still takes are contrasted sharply towards the end, when there are far more frequent cuts and shaking cameras, which highlights the action nicely.
I understand that not everyone will like this one, and that those who do may well be watching different movies. 'Oh no don't let Ray die, I hope he lives and marries the girl and they have lots of babies' cried a friend as she watched the final stages of the movie. I cared more for Ken than Ray, personally, but I think their combination widens the audience, and they were both great characters who worked fantastically with one another. Very well done to Colin Farrell (Ray), for whom as far as I know this was the first lead in a feature-length, and to Brendan Gleeson (Ken) who is brilliant in everything, and who is possibly my favourite Irish actor. Overall, one of my favourite movies.
In Bruges: 82.6