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In Bruges (2008)

Director: Martin McDonagh

Time Out rating

Average user rating

77 reviews

Movie review

From Time Out London

‘Bruges is the best preserved medieval town in Belgium,’ reads Brendan Gleeson’s impressed Ken. ‘It’s a fucking shithole!’ fires back his new, younger room-sharer and fellow hitman-on-the-run Ray (Colin Farrell). Thus begins the running joke of ex-theatre wunderkind Martin McDonagh’s clever, savvy and enjoyable revamp of the odd-couple/gangster caper, a genre picture confident its own audience-pleasing verbal sparrings, joke-enabling moral sophistry and tongue-in-cheek classical and cinematic borrowings – from Hieronymus Bosch’s ‘Last Judgement’ to Nic Roeg’s ‘Don’t Look Now’ and every belfry, picaresque canal and famous seventeenth-century building in the ‘Venice of the North’.

Its mock-artistic thriller trappings notwithstanding, ‘In Bruges’ is basically a funny, tragicomic two-hander, with the casting of Farrell alongside Gleeson enabling a pleasing Irish inflection: culture-vulture old pro Ken and philistine loose cannon Ray are Dublin-accented, London-Irishmen with shared guilty pasts awaiting fate in the person of psychopathic boss Harry (Ralph Fiennes as an enjoyable, mumbling Mamet-ian figure with a suicidal sense of honour).

McDonagh adeptly milks the situation comedy of the mismatched pair with the clock running down – as in Edouard Molinaro’s film ‘A Pain in the Arse’ – lacing his drama with cheeky racist-dwarf jokes and dextrous set-pieces (notably an amusing face-to-face encounter out of Michael Mann’s ‘Heat’). But the film’s real pleasure lies in McDonagh’s verbal felicity – the naturalistic dialogue is a breath of fresh air – and while Farrell struggles to juggle his humorous ‘thick’ persona with romantic pathos, Gleeson excels in his role as the weary gangster pondering the possibilities for his own shot at redemption.

Author: Wally Hammond

Time Out London Issue 1965: April 17 - 23, 2008

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User reviews of this film

Caner said...

Posted on Dec 20 2010 12:21 a masterpiece. movie of my life. this film has this spectacular atmosphere that most modern films can't give to the viewer. other than the brilliant direction and script, that sonat and songs such as "on a raglan rode" make you think you're in an ongoing fairytale. of course this bruges has a share in. and finally there is a colin farrell event in it. his acting in this film is beyond acting. he is like "see what's happening when I'd like to act". he's terrific in one word.
just do yourself a favour and do not miss this artwork. because you bet there won't be one more coming soon.

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Pete Kane said...

Posted on Dec 20 2010 10:11 Best film I've seen in years made me laugh and made me sad - not many manage that - the two main characters are a marriage made in heaven - five stars

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pauge said...

Posted on Dec 09 2010 00:53 Gleeson is brilliant as the philosophical hitman and Farrell is a charmer-just eat in the non-smoking section if you really don't like smoke! A little bit comic bookish in places, though the humour, and girls, there is plenty of it, never suffers. Nicely paced.

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weatherman said...

Posted on Aug 29 2010 22:01 Ive just seen In Bruges probably for the 4th time and with each viewing the emotional pleasure and joy the film brings continues to grow. The film is unique and other than saying it is special and brilliant, the only other comment I will make is that I know exactly which of the reviewers I would like to share time with and equally the ones I would avoid like the plague.It is good that sites like this one show us which side of the divide we are in.you type in this box will appear on the site

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Henry A. said...

Posted on Aug 29 2010 18:23 A Psychotic Father Ted and Dougal meet a faux Don Logan - the kind of tall tale told by your local locquacious drunk, and just as boring.

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Henry A. said...

Posted on Aug 29 2010 18:09 Psychotic Father Ted and Dougal met a faux Don Logan - the kind of tall tale told by your local locquacious drunk, and just as boring.

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EDD said...

Posted on Jun 19 2010 19:13 very good film, action and comedy of a different variety than usually seen of this nature worked well

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Beast said...

Posted on Apr 29 2010 09:44 Seriously, the only people who will like this film are those who either have no grasp on reality, or are stuck up snobs who like to think that they are more cultured than they are. The bloke below says it spot on, when you've a film where the police are preventing people leaving town for a few fisty-cuffs, yet don't turn up after endless mid-street gunfights it says it all. Joolz Holland and Jazz lovers will love it, real men and women will see it for the peice of pap it is.

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Will said...

Posted on Apr 21 2010 00:08 Brilliant film. I can only presume those people who didn't enjoy it take no pleasure in intelligent dialogue, thoughtful cinematography and well-developed story and plot lines. In which case I suggest a Jean-Claude Van-Damme movie, or possibly a Tarantino for the cultured American (what's the difference between America and a pot of yoghurt? Leave a pot of yoghurt alone for long enough and it'll develop its own culture)

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Jimbo said...

Posted on Mar 03 2010 14:20 Cracking film. Had in my lovefilm account for ages, forgot about it and it finally arrived. Actors are great and some good lines, especially from Fines. A nice suprise and good ending.

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Emily said...

Posted on Feb 26 2010 16:44 Both my boyfriend and I simply saw this as a couple of hours of our lives wasted. It felt incredibly slow, dull, and something I wouldn't recommend to anyone! However seeing some other comments on here it appears I was missing a trick! My brother like some other said it was the funniest and best film he'd seen in a while but I don't even remember laughing, just avoiding sleeping!!

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Tilney said...

Posted on Feb 12 2010 23:34 A great film, I must admit the funny moments are overated but it still found it a great watch. Colin Farrell's character Ray was simply brilliant, swapping between his state of normality and torment. Some parts are a little far fetched but I would recomend it to anyone. And the music is brilliant.

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Tom said...

Posted on Jan 12 2010 20:02 an incredible film. probable up in my top 5 this films really makes you think whilst at the same time making you laugh with its witty well timed one liners and banter between farrel and gleeson. McDonagh has done an excellent job and should be proud. i could watch this film over and over and still love every moment of it. all i can say is thankyou. it was unbeliveably good.

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Fred Fox said...

Posted on Oct 08 2009 15:06 A cut above the average ganster movie by virtue of the cast, the script, the plot and the location, in fact, because it is somuch better than most of what's out there. It will offend some people, who will then choose to criticise it rather than admit small-mindedness, plus it's not formulaic in the normal sense, instead combining odd components and forcing a fit. It works so, so well.. The evil dudes have human sides, their foul language is more funny than shocking and their violence sits well in context, seeming not to be for the sake of the audience. I laughed and grimaced and got sucked in and look forward to watching it again after a suitable interlude.

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Tony F said...

Posted on Oct 06 2009 14:43 Great film, superb black humour. I can see overweight Americans not liking it too much but don't take everything too serious. It's good fun and not afraid to tell it like it is instead of pussyfooting around.

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