Movie (DVD) Review: "In Bruges"

"In Bruges" stars Colin Farrell, Brendan Gleeson, Ralph Fiennes, Clemence Poesy and Jeremie Renier. It is directed by Martin McDonagh and is classified as an action/adventure, foreign, comedy, drama. It's rated R for strong violence, language and some drug use. "In Bruges" was released in 2008 and can be purchased (or rented) on DVD.

Some people love the city of Bruges, for it's medieval atmosphere, the wonderful old world architecture, the quaint cobble streets, the canals and the culture. Then again, there are those who absolutely hate the city, likening it to being in hell itself, all depending upon your perspective, of course, and why you happen to find yourself "in Bruges".

Such as it is with two English hit men who, after a botched assassination, find themselves being sent to the old world city in Belgium, for a bit of R & R, while their boss figures out a way to deal with the mess they have just created in London.

Ray (Colin Farrell) and Ken (Brendan Gleeson), two very different souls as you could possibly find paired together, must come to terms with why they were sent there. Ken, the older of the two, a "fatherly" type with an easy going personality , tries to make the best of a bad situation, taking in the sites as a tourist, as he awaits for a call from his boss (Harry, played by Ralph Fiennes) for further instructions.

Ray finds himself detesting every second he must endure in Bruges, with constant complaints, insults and put downs. He has nothing good to say about the city and remarks that he'd rather be in Dublin.

As the story unfolds, you discover that it's not so much that Ray hates Bruges, but that he is dealing with the emotional turmoil of his part in the London hit, which as it happens, was his first job. How could it have gone so terribly wrong? The job itself, couldn't have been any simpler. All they had to do was take out a priest at a time when the church would be empty of parishioners. However, something did go very wrong, so it wouldn't have mattered which city he was sent to, laying low until the heat died down. He wouldn't have liked it any better anywhere else, as horrific memories of London haunt him endlessly.

Finally, Ken receives instructions that he must eliminate Ray, as he's a liability to the company and, as it appears, isn't quite cut out for this line of work. While searching for Ray throughout the streets of Bruges, Ken finds him sitting alone in a nearby park with his own gun to his head. Ray just cannot live with the terrible mistake that he was solely responsible for. Upon seeing this, Ken refrains from carrying out his appointed duty, and in a paradoxical twist, tries to save Ray's life.

Aside from the violence, and looking passed all the political incorrectness (which does offer some very amusing moments), certain scenes leave you with side splitting laughter as these two likable, main characters fumble their way through the city of Bruges, encountering locals and tourists alike. They make a few friends, and some enemies as well, during their stay there. It's a perfect mixture of mayhem and dark English humor. Along with some hilarious antics, as only the English know how to incorporate alongside tragedy, and a totally unexpected ending, this movie has a way of not leaving your thoughts for a long time, well after the movie has ended.

I give "In Bruges" a 5 star rating. It's one of those movies that you just know you're going to watch again.