How Is This Movie Not Better Known?

 In Bruges (2008) – Two hit men wait to hear from the boss after a hit goes wrong.  Stick in Bruges, Belgium, they wait for their futures to be revealed.

Directed by Martin McDonagh

Starring Colin Ferrell, Brendan Gleeson, Ralph Fiennes

Why I Liked It – Everything.  Every damn thing in the movie.

This movie will appear on my end-of-year “My Best Movies” list.  Guaranteed.  It was that good.

I don’t know where to begin with this.  So let’s just do it by the numbers:

Great cast.  I admit it was Brendan Gleeson’s name on the promo that attracted me first.  I love Gleeson’s work in “The Guard” and the “Harry Potter” movies (more on that coming).  Not to diminish Colin Ferrell at all.  He is brilliant here as the first time hit man who screws up.  They two play off one another beautifully.  Then you have Ralph Fiennes as Harry, the easily triggered, crazy boss.  Watch the scene where he takes his frustration out on a phone.  A simple, oft done scene that becomes a special moment in the hands of a special actor.  Now, the Harry Potter connection.  There are FIVE actors from that series here.  Fiennes (Voldemort, of course), Brendan Gleeson (“Mad-Eye” Moody), Clémence Poésy (Fleur Delacour), Ciarán Hinds (Aberforth Dumbledore), and finally Colin Farrell (Percival Graves).  (In a strange side-note, Brendan Gleeson’s son played Bill Weasley in HP).  They are all more than solid here.

Great story. There is nothing special about either of the hit men.  Ray (Ferrell) and Ken (Gleeson) are at the low budget end of the profession.  Neither are shining stars professionally, personally or mentally.  Ken loves being in Bruges, fascinated by its art and history.  Ray’s opinion isn’t fit for polite company (by the way, language warning for those with delicate ears.  There are 128 f-bombs, just over one a minute).  Part buddy movie, part black comedy, part thriller, the movie moves seamlessly from one aspect of its personality to the next.  I found the final confrontation to bring a little surprise with its satisfaction.  Slowly, the story of why these two are in Bruges unfolds.

Beautiful cinematography.  Shooting a movie in a beautiful city like Bruges (who knew?  Unless it appeared in some military history I’ve read, I’m not sure I’d ever heard of the city before), is a great help.  But you can be surrounded by beauty and ignore it easily.  Credit to writer/director McDonagh (who also wrote and directed “Three Billboards Outside Ebbings, Missouri” which I also loved) and Director of Photography Eigil Bryld for creating the fairy tale look here.

“In Bruges” carried me through the twists and turns in perfect rhythm.  I watched most of the movie with a smile on my face.  This is the best movie I’ve seen this year.  And this has been a good year for movies already.

Rating – ***** Highest Rating