In Bruges (18)

Film

Comedy

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Tue Apr 15 2008

‘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

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Fri Apr 18 2008

Duration:

107 mins

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(64 ratings)

Colin Farrrell struggles ? Its like a fuckin fairytale.

sexy bruges Sat Jan 19
Rated as: 5/5
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The movie was so bad that made my boyfriend and I search for comments and ratings. How is even possible people to like it?? So slow and predictable..wtf...We are going to live in Bruges for 10 months and only the words "This is hell - to spend your time in Bruges" are in my head...I will strongly recommend to people not to watch it. And I am sure the high ratings are given by Belgian people and Vietnamese. It is so sick...

EsEs Wed Jun 20 2012
Rated as: 1/5
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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.

Caner Mon Dec 20 2010
Rated as: 5/5
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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

Pete Kane Mon Dec 20 2010
Rated as: 5/5
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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.

pauge Thu Dec 9 2010
Rated as: 4/5
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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

weatherman Sun Aug 29 2010
Rated as: 5/5
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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.

Henry A. Sun Aug 29 2010
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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.

Henry A. Sun Aug 29 2010
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very good film, action and comedy of a different variety than usually seen of this nature worked well

EDD Sat Jun 19 2010
Rated as: 4/5
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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.

Beast Thu Apr 29 2010
Rated as: 1/5
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In Bruges (18)

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