In Bruges

Dir: Martin McDonagh
Starring: Colin Farrell, Brendan Gleeson, Ralph Fiennes

Two Irish hit men, Ray (Farrell) and Ken (Gleeson), are sent to hideout in Bruges by their boss (Fiennes). While lying low, Ken hopes to do some sightseeing whereas Ray loathes the old city and struggles to come to terms with the botched job that put them there.

Written and directed by McDonagh, who won an Oscar in 2004 for his short film Six Shooter, this feature film debut is nothing short of brilliant.  Transferring his stage experience to the big screen, McDonagh apparently rehearsed for three weeks with the cast before he began filming, which undoubtedly helped them bring to life the complex characters.

The humour is often dark and very un-politically correct, but is also refreshingly different. Farrell’s comedic timing is surprisingly up to the challenge and, along with Gleeson, he makes the most of McDonagh’s excellent writing. As the film progresses the humour naturally takes a back seat and here Gleeson excels as the troubled hit man, debating with his conscience, with the looming figure of his English boss on the horizon. Fiennes certainly makes his mark in his relatively short screen time, delivering a frightening yet balanced performance at times reminiscent of Ben Kingsley in Sexy Beast.

Filmed on location in the city of Bruges, the medieval architecture and foggy weather provide a haunting background, well complemented by the beautiful score. The film defies expectations in a number of ways and far exceeds its simple trailer which wastes most of the films best one-liners, using them completely out of context. After the post-Oscar lull, In Bruges is one of the few films being released in the coming weeks that really stands out from the crowd.  All in all, a must see.

Out Friday 18th

8/10