Taking in the Sights

In Bruges

Almost a year ago I came across a small black comedy/crime film filled with some of the most eccentric characters I ever remember being on film. Seven Psychopaths (review here) is a underrated film that I couldn’t say enough nice things about. Though what I didn’t know was that the writer/director of that film had a few other films on his resume that were somehow better than Psychopaths. I wasn’t sure how this was possible, so while rooting through Netflix I came across one of his other films. I now know why In Bruges was critically better than its successor.

Ray (Colin Farrell Seven Psychopaths) and Ken (Brendan Gleeson the Harry Potter series) are Irish hitman sent to Bruges, Belgium immediately after a job to await orders from their boss, Harry (Ralph Fiennes Spectre). Hating every minute of the trip, Ray starts to reflect on the last assignment and on his life as a whole. Feeling quite the opposite, Ken is trying to take in the culture of Bruges and make the most of the situation that the two are in. What Ray and Ken don’t know is that there is another reason for their seclusion in Bruges that Harry has yet to share with either of them.

As much as I loved Seven Psychopaths, I did have to agree with other critics that In Bruges is a much better film. Though I will forewarn that In Burges is a different type of film than Psychopaths. Bruges is more of a dramatic film, sprinkled with dark humor, than Psychopaths which I felt was a little more light- hearted. This aspect gave me much more respect for writer/director Martin McDonagh and his ability to produce more than one type of film. Both have aspects of hitman and crime, but the In Bruges was filled with more ironic comedy than flat out jokes.

Farrell, who plays Ray, gives a great take on the rookie hitman with a tragic mistake in his past. This mistake is what drives him through this film and how Farrell portrays Ray’s guilt is magnificent. Farrell won a Golden Globe for this role and I can definitely see why. While Ray takes on the self-pity and tries to fold into himself, Gleeson’s Ken has taken this opportunity to stop and find the beauty in the world. Gleeson has a great fatherly presence while he tries to deal with the feelings of what happened back in London. I think that he was a great balance to Farrell throughout this film.

What can I really say about McDonagh that I haven’t already. I was impressed by the tone that McDonagh creates with this film and how he takes something very serious and gives it an insightful spin on how fragile life really is. I just really hope that more films will be made by McDonagh and that they are as well put together as the two that I have mentioned.

If you enjoyed Seven Psychopaths and somehow have skipped over this film than I highly suggest it. Though please be warned that this is more serious than that film is, however it is just as sarcastic with its humor. This is another film I had laying in waiting on my Netflix queue and I am so glad that I watched it.

The Verdict: Worth Your Time. On Netflix now!