Offbeat and off-putting, unless you're really heavily into "guilt and sins and hell and all that."
In Bruges (2008)
Tomatometer
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Reviews Counted:151
Fresh:121
Rotten:30
Average Rating:7/10
Consensus: Featuring witty dialogue and deft performances In Bruges is an effective mix of dark comedy and crime thriller elements.
Rated: 18 [See Full Rating] for strong bloody violence, pervasive language and some drug use.
Runtime: 1 hr 47 mins
Genre: Comedies
Theatrical Release:07-03-2008
Synopsis: Mr. McDonagh makes his feature directorial debut on the film, from his own original screenplay. His plays (which include The Lieutenant of Inishmore and The Pillowman) have brought him two... Mr. McDonagh makes his feature directorial debut on the film, from his own original screenplay. His plays (which include The Lieutenant of Inishmore and The Pillowman) have brought him two Olivier Awards and four Tony Award nominations. He wrote and directed Six Shooter, starring Brendan Gleeson, which earned him the 2006 Academy Award for Best Live-Action Short Film. In Bruges was filmed on location; Bruges (pronounced "broozh"), the most well-preserved medieval city in the whole of Belgium, is a welcoming destination for travelers from all over the world. But for hit men Ray (Colin Farrell) and Ken (Brendan Gleeson), it could be their final destination; a difficult job has resulted in the pair being ordered right before Christmas by their London boss Harry (two-time Academy Award nominee Ralph Fiennes) to go and cool their heels in the storybook Flemish city for a couple of weeks. Very much out of place amidst the gothic architecture, canals, and cobbled streets, the two hit men fill their days living the lives of tourists. Ray, still haunted by the bloodshed in London, hates the place, while Ken, even as he keeps a fatherly eye on Ray's often profanely funny exploits, finds his mind and soul being expanded by the beauty and serenity of the city. But the longer they stay waiting for Harry's call, the more surreal their experience becomes, as they find themselves in weird encounters with locals, tourists, violent medieval art, a dwarf American actor (Jordan Prentice) shooting a European art film, Dutch prostitutes, and a potential romance for Ray in the form of Chloë (Clémence Poésy), who may have some dark secrets of her own. And when the call from Harry does finally come, Ken and Ray's vacation becomes a life-and-death struggle of darkly comic proportions and surprisingly emotional consequences. --© Focus Features [More]
Starring: Colin Farrell, Brendan Gleeson, Ralph Fiennes, Clemence Poesy
Starring: Colin Farrell, Brendan Gleeson, Ralph Fiennes, Clemence Poesy, Jordan Prentice, Jérémie Rénier
Director: Martin McDonagh
Director: Martin McDonagh
Screenwriter: Martin McDonagh
Producer: Graham Broadbent, Peter Czernin
Composer: Carter Burwell
Studio: Focus Features
Reviews for In Bruges
McDonagh shines more as a writer than director but he displays a fresh, darkly comic take on life that's quite welcome.
... has trouble balancing the movie's twisted humor and explosive violence, creating glaring shifts in tone that make watching In Bruges a wild, if only sporadically satisfying, trip.
Like Farrell's shaky shooter, this comedic thriller hits its marks most of the time.
It's hard to mix dark wit with real tragedy, but that's what writer-director Martin McDonagh pulls off with In Bruges, a wonderfully realized examination of unintended and deadly consequences.
Those who can withstand the verbal assault on their sensibilities will be rewarded. The film features some very good performances, as well as an interesting take on the morality and mental strain of being a killer.
'After I killed him, I dropped the gun in the Thames' -- so begins In Bruges, an insanely clever thug's tale so rife with obscenity that those 11 words form one of the longest complete sentences that can be repeated safely here.
In Bruges is memorable for its two leading men, whose Mutt and Jeff killers are nearly as fascinating and likable as those played by Samuel L. Jackson and John Travolta in Pulp Fiction.
In Bruges is what Guy Ritchie might dream about making if, in fact, he could make a worthwhile movie anymore.
[Director] McDonagh got winning performances from all of his cast, and the film exudes a charming sense of fun.
Writer-director Martin McDonagh revels in splattering his profane, bloody film all across Bruges' lovely cobblestones, and the result is a spectacular, hilariously transgressive debut.
The dialogue is front and center, in spite of the picturesque setting and all the goings-on, and it's the best thing about the film.
In the end, In Bruges is a bit arch and artificial, but it is more than redeemed by Farrell and Gleeson's presence, and by the bushwhacking wit of the film's writer/director.
the sight of a coked-up Colin Farrell karate-chopping a racist dwarf in the neck alone is worth the price of admission
Everything comes together in a climax that acts like one in a standard crime thriller but means a bit more.
A near-masterpiece, impossible to pigeonhole or predict. It is the kind of great movie that could only be made by a neophyte.
A film that's so bloody wonderful (in both meanings of the word) that all other movies this year might as well go straight to video.
...it's certainly difficult not to admire the fervor with which both Farrell and Gleeson tackle their respective characters and the film's ample dialogue...
Latest News for In Bruges
December 14, 2008:
Boston Film Critics Honor Slumdog, WALL-E
The hardware won't be handed out until February 8, but the winners of this year's Boston Society of Film Critics Awards have been announced -- and they're all listed right here. More...
December 11, 2008:
Golden Globe Nominations Announced
"Benjamin Button," "Frost/Nixon," "The Reader," "Revolutionary Road" and "Slumdog Millionaire" battle it out for Best Drama while "Burn After Reading," "Happy-Go-Lucky," "In... More...
November 07, 2008:
UK Critics Consensus: Was W. Wicked? Is Pride & Glory Proud and Glorious?
This week in the UK cinemas we have Oliver Stones latest presidential dissection, the George W. Bush biopic W. with Josh Brolin in the title role. Also out is Pride & Glory, a... More...
August 15, 2008:
Movie Spots: Brooding, tense, allegorical, quirky, tragic and unbelievably funny, In Bruges may be the most intelligent, introspective and bizarre gangster thriller in quite some time, perhaps ever. ![]()
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