[Movie Review] IN BRUGES
Who knew that Colin Farrell was funnier than Will Ferrell?
I’d heard some pretty good buzz about this film, but it was this review from my pals over at The Movie Blog that solidified my decision to see In Bruges. If you have a theater near you that is playing this thing, I highly recommend that you see this pronto. It’s a dark little gem of a comedy that is bound for a cult following on DVD.
In Bruges is the story of two hitmen, seasoned veteran Ken(Brendon Gleeson) and rookie Ray(Colin Farrell), who are sent to Bruges, Belgium by their potty-mouthed boss Harry(Ralph Fiennes) to hide out after an ordered hit goes terribly wrong. To say how the hit is botched would ruin some of the emotional punch that the film delivers, so try and avoid other reviews that will spoil the crapola out of this film. The hit isn’t all that important, anyway. The real fun begins once they arrive in Bruges and try to adjust to the trappings of the quiet city.
I was never on the Colin Farrell bandwagon. He’s not a terrible actor, but I never understood the hype over him being the “It” guy a few years ago. Yeah, that panned out really well, huh? SWAT? The Recruit? ALEXANDER?! The guy just can’t seem to find a film that can showcase his talent, but he’s hit pay-dirt with In Bruges. I am not exaggerating when I say that I have never seen him better than he is here. I was seriously stunned at how good he was in this movie. His portrayal of Ray is hilarious and heart-wrenching at the same time. One moment, he’s calling a bunch of fat people “elephants”, and the next moment he is weeping with guilt over his job, and I bought every bit of it. Not a false note to be found here, people. Colin’s infamous swearing ability is put to perfect use here as the F-bombs fly at a rapid pace. Unlike Semi Pro, which seemed to use F-bombs simply to get an R-rating, the swear-athon that is In Bruges is genuinely funny while making complete sense, considering that these guys murder people for a living. They aren’t going to talk like choir boys, making this role right up Colin’s alley. He’s charming as hell, and you can’t help but like the guy, in spite of his job. His utter disgust for Bruges is played for huge laughs throughout the film. Just the way that he says the city’s name is a riot! There’s a shot of Colin sitting in a boat on a sightseeing tour that almost had me on the floor. The guy uses everything he’s got, from a simple arch of his eyebrows to a shrug in his shoulders, and I can now say that I am on the bandwagon. I hope the guy gets more work like this. I dunno if you’ll get this comparison, but he reminded me a bit of Robert Downey, Jr in this film in terms of acting talent. Very good, VERY funny work.
Brendon Gleeson also gets his fair share of funny stuff to do in this film as Ken. Ken’s relationship with Ray is crucial to whether or not the film works, and he has a fantastic banter with Colin here. The closest comparison I can give you is Travolta/Jackson in Pulp Fiction minus all of the pop culture stuff. I immediately bought that these two were friends and co-workers. Gleeson’s got some heavy lifting to do as the film progresses, and he handles it with style. But both of these fine actors are nearly overshadowed by Lord Voldemort himself, Ralph Fiennes. As a Harry Potter fan, it was fun to watch Fiennes as a potty-mouthed villain in this film. A twitch of his face or tilt of his head gave me Voldemort flashbacks, but Fiennes is so friggin’ funny in this. There is a conversation that he has with a young thug near the film’s finale that nearly did me in. I was scared of the guy, yet I was laughing my ass off at the stuff flying out of his mouth. The guy just rules, and the resolution that his character finally meets is pitch-perfect.
This movie was a real Harry Potter reunion, what with Mad-Eye Moody(Gleeson), Lord Voldemort(Fiennes), and Fleur Delacour(Clemence Poesy) running around. Poesy has a minor role as Ray’s love interest, but she keeps the story arc from becoming incredibly cliche. As soon as Ray started making goo-goo eyes at her, I winced. Love interests in films like this usually bring the action to a total halt, but she was actually charming enough to pull it off without making me wish that she’d been edited out. Fortunately, she and the film keep things from getting too mushy via a pretty ingenious little plot device, and I am overly thankful for that after having to sit through a pointless love story in Semi Pro. A special note has to be made of a dwarf actor in this film by the name of Jordan Prentice. I’ve never seen the guy before this film, and I hope to God that he gets more work after this. He is so funny in this film. Just wait until you hear his speech about the impending war of whites against blacks, and which race will be on which side and why. I’ve seen way too many movies where dwarfs are thrown about(literally, sometimes) just for the hell of it, but this guy actually has a purpose that I cannot reveal without giving major spoilers.
I know that I haven’t gone into too much detail, but trust me when I tell you that you are better off that way. I didn’t know too much about this film prior to seeing it, and it only enhanced the experience. It’s not a perfect film. Everyone is talking in their natural accents, and it was hard to understand what they were saying at times, particularly Colin’s Irish accent. I know that I missed a bunch of his lines because I couldn’t understand him. I was begging for some subtitles at some points in this film, but overall, it’s a minor quibble. This is a very funny, very violent film that is much more worthy of your comedy dollars than watered-down crap like Semi Pro.
2 Responses to “[Movie Review] IN BRUGES”
Kris, if you liked this you should really check out the fantastic Irish film I WENT DOWN which also stars Brendan Gleeson (it was the movie that made his name really!) and for which this film bears a little similarity!
As for Farrell, I’ll take your word for it until I see this but, for me, the guy is THE by word in everything that is wrong with the movie industry. He’s never had a hit for which he headlined, yet he keeps getting movies. Based on what exactly?!?
:s
Gazz, I’m telling you, you will be converted after seeing this. The guy is awesome in this movie.
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