In Bruges (2007) Starring Colin Farrell, Brendan Gleeson, Ralph Fiennes, Ciaran Hinds, Clemence Poesey, Jeremie Renier, Elizabeth Berrington, Jordan Prentice, Mark Donovan, Ann Eisley.
Directed by Martin McDonagh.
Runtime: 107 minutes.
Rating: R (Violence, Coarse Language, Drug Abuse).
"You can't sell horse tranquillisers to a midget!"
Irish hitmen Ray (Farrell) and Ken (Gleeson) hole up together in the same Belgian hotel room over Christmas after a particularly messy job awaiting instructions from their cockney crimelord employer Harry (Fiennes). Bookish Ken loves Bruges and sightseeing. Bog Irish Ray hates Bruges on sight and can't wait to go home taking his frustration out on other tourists.
At first neither questions why they must stay there for two full weeks when they normally hide out in Britain after a job there for a shorter time. Then it starts to seem suspicious as they feel like they are this strange place where time seems to have been standing still since 1800. As Ken becomes less in the thrall of the sights he and Ray begin to reflect and stew in their well-deserved guilt.
Ray in particular has reason to feel guilt though he makes the same mistake a lot of men do in pursuing a relationship with an inappropriate woman hoping she will help him forget. He meets a card-carrying drug dealer Chloe (Poesy) on a movie set, and though she is not exactly what every guy's dreams are made out of (but she seems to think she is), she is there at the right time for Ray. Given his state of mind he fails to notice what an obnoxious buffoon she really is. Given the crowd he runs with his definition of "nice" is quite a bit different from that of other people.
I don't have the kind of fascination with those who murder on a regular basis that today's audiences seem to have. It doesn't matter that they have unusual conversations with each other or meet weird people. This film is getting a few good critical notices and some mixed ones. The only thing I liked about it was the scenery.
Tortured metaphors and arcane references, which need to be explained within laboured conversations resulting in awkward silences, are not my idea of entertainment. But all that happens before the silly shootout ending which the characters actually choreograph with each other.
There are quite simply too many movies about quirky hitmen and serial killers. Are people still struck with incredulity by the notion of people like these relating to each other the way normal people do? I guess it is then supposed to be funny when their line of work gets in the way of their relationships. Haven't we covered this territory in movies like Pulp Fiction? I know the setting was different but so what?
And as I have said before countless times if you have a character who is Canadian get a Canadian to play him. If you don't I won't even mention the name of the actor who plays said character in the credits because he doesn't belong in the movie.
Colin Farrell is one of those actors that producers dug up to replace the ageing generation of Hollywood stars that came before his. Into that vacuum stepped wooden, weird-looking, bland actors like him and Aaron Eckhart, Thomas Jane etc. Farrell's bushy eyebrows, puppy-dog eyes, five o'clock shadow, hairy moles and lilt are gracing an increasing number of high-profile roles. Films like this are unimpressive productions that still feature him at his best.
Notes:
If you get the DVD the special features portion has an absolutely brilliant tour of the city done entirely with extended duration point of view shots from a boat travelling along the canal. The experience of watching it is uncommonly peaceful and relaxing.