What's a pair of Irish hitmen doing In Bruges? I.e., what are two colorful but hackneyed movie stereotypes doing in Belgium's most well-preserved medieval city?
In Bruges (2008)
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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
It's definitely not to everyone's taste, but the most interesting pictures never are.
For all its very snappy dialogue and daringly crass humor, In Bruges aims to be about, in one character's words, "guilt and sins and hell and all that."
There are several standout moments, but as a whole it feels rather flat and arrested. For a film about Purgatory, however, that might be appropriate.
Unfortunately, the finished product is lost somewhere in the messily finger-painted tones; Bruges is a decent blast of uneasy cinema, but is ultimately crushed under the weight of its own self-adulation.
'In Bruges' discloses nothing that is not at once discernible and, even with new wrinkles, does not measure up against better caper-gone-awry works.
This film debut by the theater writer and director Martin McDonagh is an endlessly surprising, very dark, human comedy, with a plot that cannot be foreseen but only relished.
It may be a Tarantino knock-off in the end but it is one of the most entertaining Tarantino knock-offs that I can recall seeing in recent memory.
McDonagh doesn't quite reinvigorate the genre, but if you liked Lucky Number Slevin or You Kill Me, you'll like this too.
Full of black humor and sharp comedic jabs, but with an undercurrent of genuine soul searching.
In In Bruges, Brendan Gleeson, Colin Farrell and Ralph Fiennes have great fun rummaging around inside Martin McDonagh’s modest bag of tricks.
An unfunny comedy, this dismal effort is so full of plot holes it could pass as Swiss Cheese
...not, fortunately, a Hollywood film and doesn't dumb down for its audience. Instead, Martin McDonagh makes you pony up and pay attention to his complexly woven tapestry.
Writer/director Martin McDonagh has created something tonally unique, a film that is hilarious and tragic, irreverent and wistful, peopled with characters learning to love life with death all around them.
Too good for action, its action is flaccid; too good for hip, its hipsterism is tired.
Farrell hasn't been this good in some time, and his loose, funny performance suggests he should try comedy more often.
A perfectly titled and thoroughly engaging -- if at times gleefully violent -- black comedy.
Latest News for In Bruges
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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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