Killer instincts

The writer-director of In Bruges muses on his darkly comic worldview.

As a playwright, Martin McDonagh has made his reputation on bleakly funny work that tackles the dark side of human nature, with crackling, profane dialogue that evokes comparisons to Harold Pinter and David Mamet. The Lieutenant of Inishmore opens with a dead cat leaking brains on a table and ends with numerous characters dead or wounded. The plot of The Pillowman revolves around a possible serial killer and other violence, but the play also muses on the origins of artistic creation and the personal and social responsibilities of the artist.

It’s no surprise, then, that his first feature film, which he both scripted and directed, should focus on a pair of hit men batting around the question of sin and guilt and the nature of heaven and hell with hilarious, foul-mouthed gusto. When we sat down with the playwright-turned-filmmaker on a recent visit to Chicago, McDonagh was more than willing to laugh at himself.

In Bruges shares the violent undercurrent and smartly crafted dialogue of his stage work, but McDonagh stresses the differences between them. “Most of those plays were all written in a small burst over a few years in my mid-twenties,” he explains. Now 37, McDonagh looks back on those days philosophically. “I was raging, and saw the world as a very, very dark place. I think I’ve gotten to a place where I’m trying to explore the possibilities of hope a little bit more.”

Ray (Colin Farrell) and Ken (Brendan Gleeson) are sent to Bruges to cool their heels with simple instructions: Stay put and wait for a phone call. Ray is tortured by guilt over a hit that went horribly wrong. The two men wait, squabble, tour the city and talk about life and death.

“It’s very Catholic in some ways,” McDonagh notes. “It’s pretty much about a guy who’s trying not to commit suicide, or trying to commit suicide. He’s trying to run away from something, but then finally tries to address it. So yeah, it’s very much about the attempt at redemption.”

The seeds of In Bruges were planted when McDonagh vacationed in the Belgian town, which has some of the best-preserved medieval architecture in Europe. “First it was Bruges, and first there was two guys that don’t want to be there that end up being there. Which naturally led to hit men somehow.”

We point out that this progression from characters stuck somewhere to hit men is not exactly the most obvious path, and McDonagh seems genuinely taken aback. When we suggest that, say, two businessmen might be the logical choice for the bored protagonists, McDonagh muses on his own perversity. “Yeah, that’s true…I guess that’s the way my mind works,” he says. Then, after a beat, he smiles slyly. “And maybe I just don’t like businessmen. I think that would be more of a Neil LaBute film.”

There’s something distinctly reminiscent of Beckett’s Waiting for Godot in the setup and feel of In Bruges, with the twist that the Godot figure does show up in the form of Ray and Ken’s gangster boss (Ralph Fiennes). “I’m kind of taking on Beckett, because he really should have finished that play properly, with Godot turning up for Act 3,” he says with a laugh. “But in my mind there’s also The Dumbwaiter, which is Pinter’s take on Godot. You always have those things in the back of your mind,” he cautions, “but you don’t want to reference them too much.”

Ray and Ken kick around big ideas about the afterlife, and Ray at one point imagines that hell might just amount to being trapped in Bruges forever, but McDonagh shies away from any suggestion that the film is an allegory. “Ray’s not secretly Everyman. Ray is Ray.”

In fact, McDonagh has some fun at the expense of films that traffic in big symbolism. While wandering around Bruges, Ray and Ken cross paths with a crew making some sort of art film involving dwarves in schoolboy uniforms and other art-film imagery.

“Yeah, it’s a bit of a joke,” McDonagh agrees, “but it’s not that much of a tease, because I like that kind of film. In part that’s just plot stuff—you have a film being made within your film, and of course it can’t be the film you’re making. Actually, maybe you could…You could have them making a hit-man film.” Realizing the missed opportunity, McDonagh jokingly slaps his forehead. “Shit.”

In Bruges is in theaters now.

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