In Bruges -- Movie Review

Talk first. Explain later. It’s a compelling narrative device used too little in films. Thankfully, award-winning playwright Martin McDonagh understands the intrigue behind a little mystery. In Bruges is McDonagh’s first stab (or should that be shot?) at bringing his infinitely dark sense of humor to a feature length movie. (He previously won an Academy Award for best live action short with his 27-minute nail-biter Six Shooter). The Irish playwright turned writer/director further explores staple themes of violence, redemption, damnation, and duty in his latest blood soaked genre-bending film.

Bruges (that’s broozh), for all you uncultured I-like-my-hometown-just-fine-thank-you-very-much people, is in Belgium, and if you want to get technical about it, it’s Brugge (broo-gha) to the local Flemish population. (And yes, despite it’s make believe-ish name, Flemish is a real language spoken by the inhabitants of Brugge and not just a funny word used to characterize the noises induced by French speech). Still not ringing any bells? How about the fact that it’s one of the oldest medieval cities in all of Europe rivaling Paris in art, beauty, culture, and of course we can’t forget la amour.

But picturesque gems like Bruges don’t stay hidden in their magical corner of the world for long. Currently, the charming city is overrun with tourists (especially those extra-annoying, camera-toting, super-size-me plus Americans – I’m not pointing any fingers), tacky tourist shops, film crews, and most recently, thanks to McDonagh, hit men on the lam. You just haven’t lived until you’ve seen a shoot out on cobble stone streets.

The film opens with a colorful voice over from Ray (Colin Farrell). He states how after killing someone he was shipped off to Bruges to lay low. Whether the killing was intentional or accidental is not revealed until later when we discover that Ray and his partner in crime Ken (Brendan Gleeson) are actually hired guns working for the semi-psychotic, foul-mouthed Harry (Ralph Fiennes).

Ken and Ray are the Felix and Oscar of the hit man world. Ken is content spending his mini-vacation meandering along canals, soaking up art, climbing all 366 steps of the Belfry, and paying homage to the amazingly re-liquidized blood of Christ. His perfect day consists of striking a “fair balance between culture and fun” (which to Ray’s horror includes heavy doses of culture).

Ray on the other hand, fails to see the intrinsic fairy tale beauty Bruges possesses. He deems the place a “shithole” and only seems happy when he’s in the pub getting wasted, in his hotel room getting high with Danish prostitutes and his newly acquainted dwarf-friend Jimmy (Jordan Prentice), or re-imagining his life with the attractive but far from pure Chloe (Clémence Poésy). For Ray, the fairy tale likeness of Bruges is not an escape; it’s hell. A purgatory lined with quaint buildings and stain-glass windows made purposefully dazzling to make you forget, or not care, you can’t see out.