In Bruges

12/28/2019

There are good movies. Then there are great movies. And then there are perfect movies. Movies like In Bruges fall in the last category. But what is In Bruges? It's a simple story of two hitmen hiding in Bruges, Belgium, while waiting for further instructions from their boss. It is a relatively simple story. Even the cast lacks any star names. Then what makes this film "perfect"? Well, pretty much everything. You see, rarely do we see a film which makes us feel a range of emotions; In Bruges is one of those films. We laugh in the absurd and often downright offensive jokes; we sympathise with the characters' woes in life; we feel scared at the bullets flying in the crowded Belgian streets. We "feel" everything when we are watching this movie. It's not a movie, it is an experience. T

2/29/2020

In a fairytale city with a couple of foul mouthed hit men. Ray (Colin Farrell) & Ken (Brendan Gleeson) are two Irish hit men who are sent to lay low in the beautiful city of Bruges by their gangster boss Harry Waters (Ralph Fiennes). As they wait for instruction from Harry the pair start to address many things that are troubling them, with one pressing matter particularly relevant to their lives post the Bruges visit. Written and directed by Martin McDonagh, a man more known for his play writing abilities, In Bruges is a rare old animal indeed. Not only is it a winner in the very wobbly sub-genre that encompasses the British gangster movie, it's also a hugely funny and tasteless button pusher to boot. From the outset the film sets itself up to not be to everybody's cup of tea. As Col

3/12/2025

<em>'In Bruges'</em> is a film that I was expecting to like. Unfortunately, it's one I was underwhelmed by. We were clearly on to a good thing with Martin McDonagh, Colin Farrell and Brendan Gleeson (see: <em>'The Banshees of Inisherin'</em>) but I didn't enjoy them on this occasion. There are glimpses of it working and there are still a couple of moments where I could see myself liking it. I will say that the final 30 minutes or so is better, though what precedes does the damage in my opinion. The humour is its biggest fault, only one or two jokes got me. Farrell and Gleeson are, nevertheless, a solid pairing, as we see to far greater effect with that 2022 film. The latter is the stand out here, Farrell's character is a bit too irritating for my liking. Away from them, Ralph Fiennes