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IN BRUGES Send This Review to a Friend
If you have ever been in Bruges, you know how beautiful the medieval city in Belgium is. But there has to be a better way of seeing it than as the backdrop for writer-director Martin McDonagh’s whimsical but flimsy story of two hit men on the town while waiting an assignment. True, the killers are played by Colin Farrell as Ray and Brendan Gleeson as Ken, but despite their talent, the gallows humor screenplay is only intermittently entertaining. And when the deadly business at hand escalates you may be turned off by the action.
McDonagh is best known for his offbeat plays, such as “The Pillowman,” “The Lieutenant of Inishmore” and “The Beauty Queen of Leenane.” Dark events course through his work, and so does humor. With “In Bruges” he extends his outlook to the screen, but with less impressive results.
Ralph Fiennes plays the hit men’s ruthless boss Harry, who has his own agenda. Most of the enjoyment that exists in the film occurs while the two are awaiting Harry’s instructions and involves their interactions with various Bruges characters. Ray’s encounter with the attractive Chloë (Clémence Poésy is a case in point. There’s some nasty humor involving a dwarf (Jordan Prentice) and other examples of the outrageous.
However, as the life and death battle for survival deepens, we are basically in the familiar territory of violent, clichéd action twists even if they are taking place in Bruges. We do get to see quite a bit of the city enhanced by Eigil Bryld’s cinematography, and that may tempt you to plan a trip. A Focus Features release.
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