Thoughts on... In Bruges

"It's in Belgium."

          By Desmond

Now this is one of my favourites - a blend of dark-comedy and melancholy, with surprising depth.  Back when I first saw it, during the opening scene I could tell I was in for something special. A haunting piano theme plays over many shots of well-preserved medieval architecture, while hired hitman, Ray (Colin Farrell), provides the excellent tone-setting voiceover: “After I killed him, I dropped the gun in the Thames, washed the residue off my hands in the bathroom of a Burger King, and walked home to await instructions”. The instructions would come; leading to a town called Bruges, a little fishing village somewhere in Belgium.

From here, the film opens up on the premise. Ray and Ken, two hitmen who were working an assignment in London for an employer simply named Harry, flee the city after their recent job takes an innocent casualty. It is here that we are introduced to the titular Bruges, a town whose very surroundings seem trapped in an age lost to time. Ray, wracked with guilt over the macabre turn of events in London, begins to see his presence and entrapment in Bruges, as a kind of divine punishment. The movie never ventures too far into the biblical, but it is a constant theme throughout; the possibility of repentance for a seemingly unforgivable act. Yet within this grim subject matter the movie manages to retain a great reserve of dark wit. Amazingly, and this is where I find the movie really unique, the comedy never manages to detract from or upset the heady themes at work; as Ray tries to hide his sorrow behind a dry and cynical attitude. 

The dynamic between Ray, and Ken (Brendan Gleeson), works to great effect, establishing a strong friendship which anchors the film and later struggles. Their memorable employer, Harry (Ralph Fiennes), whose unpredictable nature is somehow matched by a strict moral code, manages to steal every scene he is in.

With all these standout performances, it’s easy to overlook Bruges as the defining character of the film. The town’s romanticism and antique wonder contrasts perfectly against the bloody events that ensue. The film’s unique tone, is one that in my mind, remains unequalled. I think what director Martin McDonagh managed to capture here is nothing short of genius. A must watch.