I have seen several movies dealing with hitmen over the years, some better than others. In Bruges was a bit more unique than many of them and it was entertaining, though somewhat strange.

Hitmen Ray and Ken were sent to hide out in the Belgian city of Bruges after Ray’s first job didn’t go according to plan. Ray was not happy about being stuck in Bruges, a town he hated even before he saw it. They were supposed to stay in their hotel room until their boss, Harry, contacted them. Ken decided that they should use the time as sort of a vacation and set off to see the sites, dragging Ray along who hated every minute of it. Ray was intrigued when they came across the set of a movie and was immediately attracted to Chloe, a woman who turned out to be a drug dealer. Once Ken finally did speak to Harry, he learned that they were sent to Bruges for another reason.

In Bruges had a somewhat complicated plot. There was a lot more going on than I expected there to be from the previews I had seen. Ken and Ray were supposed to be hiding out in Bruges after a job. I had thought that going and hiding out somewhere was normal for them after jobs. It was only after the movie had been on for a while when it came out that it had been Ray’s first job. They were sent to Bruges because things had gone very wrong. Ken and Ray hadn’t been there very long when other things started to happen that made the plot more complicated and interesting.

From the previews I saw, it looked like In Bruges was going to be a comedy. Since it was clear that the characters were hitmen, I figured it was going to be a dark comedy, but still a comedy. There were some moments, usually from things that were said by some characters, that were funny and made me laugh. Some of what made me laugh was a bit twisted, but still funny. Despite those moments of humor, the movie had a darker tone than I had expected and was more serious overall. The humor and serious moments did blend well together for the most part, resulting in a somewhat odd mix. I was still able to enjoy the movie, but other people may not feel the same way. The unique blend of what was going on won’t appeal to some viewers. This really isn’t a movie for everyone.

The fact that the two main characters as well as a rather important supporting character were all killers made In Bruges darker. The movie started when Ray and Ken were arriving, but the hit that went wrong was shown a bit later through a flashback. I hadn’t expected everything that was shared about that event, and the way it went wrong was rather disturbing. That did add complications to what was going on. There were some fights in the movie, like when Ray beat up a couple from Canada, as well as shootings between other characters. The violence did get very graphic in a few of the scenes, which will upset some viewers. Many of the characters swore throughout the movie. The word that rhymes with luck, as well as several other versions of that word, were used many times. The foul language will probably disturb and offend some people. A few of the characters used different types of drugs in a few scenes as well. The movie deserved to be rated R and this is not something for children to see.

There was a little bit of a romance angle added to In Bruges after Ray spotted Chloe and decided to go after her. It wasn’t a typical romance and it didn’t detract from everything else that was going on throughout the movie. It really just served as yet another complication. Ray and Chloe both had some issues, but somehow, their relationship was seeming to work. She wasn’t really bothered when he beat up a couple from Canada in a restaurant or a bit later when there was an incident involving her ex-boyfriend. Their relationship was a bit twisted, which actually fit in well with all the other twisted things going on. Another character did pick up a prostitute and there were a few sexual situations and discussions without there being any actual sex scenes.

Basically the entire movie, except for a few short scenes, was set in Bruges, a very well preserved medieval town. Most of the buildings looked very old and the streets were made out of some sort of stone. There wasn’t a lot of flashy things around the city, but it was very beautiful. It was believable that Ray wasn’t happy being stuck there, though the way he kept running the place down did get a little old in my opinion.

Ray was fairly young and just getting started as a hitman. His first job was a bit disturbing anyway, and then it went very wrong. He was struggling to deal with what had happened, which was part of the reason why he was so miserable. He didn’t care for Bruges and wanted to leave as soon as possible. He started to feel a bit different once he met Chloe, but he stayed mostly critical of the city. Colin Farrell was really good in the part and made Ray a believable character.

Ken was older and had been a hitman for a long time. It seemed like he was sort of a mentor for Ray. Ken was trying to make the best of being sent to Bruges by checking out the city. He was also the one who was in contact with their boss Harry. Brendan Gleeson was good in the part. Harry wasn’t around for most of the movie. His first appearance was only through a phone call. He still didn’t do much once he was actually shown when he was upset that things weren’t going the way he wanted. He did seem to have some anger issues. Ralph Fiennes was fine in the part.

There were only a few other characters who were around in a few scenes. Marie was the owner of the hotel where Ray and Ken were staying. She seemed like a kind person. Chloe was the woman that caught Ray’s attention. He thought she was working on the movie that was being filmed around town, but she was actually a drug dealer with an ex-boyfriend who complicated things for Ray. Clemence Posey was fine in the part. Jimmy was the one actor in the movie that ended up somewhat more involved in what was going on. Jordan Prentice handled the part well. Ray and Ken came into contact with a few other people, like some tourists from the United States and Canada.

Main Cast

Colin Farrell - Ray
Ralph Fiennes - Harry
Brendan Gleeson - Ken
Clemence Posey - Chloe
Jordan Prentice - Jimmy

Martin McDonagh - Writer and director

DVD Information

I don’t think In Bruges ever made it to the theater in my city. I recently rented the DVD. There were some deleted scenes, bloopers, a few featurettes on the making of the movie and something that was a tour of Bruges. I didn’t have a chance to check out the extras.

In Bruges is a hard movie to describe. I thought it was entertaining overall. It had some humorous moments even though it really wasn’t a comedy. The movie did get extremelly violent in some scenes, which will more than likely turn off some viewers. This isn’t a movie that everyone will enjoy.

This review is part of elvisdo’s 2008 Canadiania Write-off. Jordan Prentice is from Ontario. There were also two characters briefly shown who turned out to be from Canada.



Recommended: Yes

Viewing Format: DVD