In Bruges: 3.5 stars

Even if the film “In Bruges” isn’t your cup of tea you will still leave the viewing with the overwhelming urge to travel to the non-fictional town of Bruges. The filmmakers do a fantastic job of setting the story and action within this gorgeous town while keeping the characters at the center of attention. The town is as described in the movie: fairytale like. The characters are more whimsical than magical and the story too real and violent to be considered a fairy tale themselves.

Two Dublin hit men are on the lam in Bruges, sent by their boss after a hit gone wrong. They are to lay low and await instructions, however that seems to be a lot harder for Ray (Colin Farrell) then it should be. Not only is he not at all impressed with the town, but he also seems to attract trouble like some sort of trouble magnet. You may be thinking this is a perfect role for Farrell given his off the screen antics, but he does much more than phone it in as his performance reminds us what a great actor he can be. Perhaps the Irish brogue let him relax a bit. Brendan Gleeson plays Ken, the more experienced and rational hit man. I guess Ken can be compared to a straight man in a comedy duo; Ray provides all the one-liners as Ken sets them up for him. However, the relationship becomes much more than that as the story progresses and Farrell and Gleeson play off each other with such ease that I hope they work together again soon.

The first third of the movie is spent developing and showing us the personalities of these two hit men. Gleeson wants to actually relax see the sights of the beautiful town while Ray is more interested in getting pissed. He even has a childlike reaction to a movie set they discover while on a nighttime tour of the town. Ray is so funny and Gleeson is so loveable, that you forget for a while why they’re there. In the first few moments of the movie, and in more detail later, it is revealed that Ray accidentally shot and killed a child wile on a job. It was also his first hit, and starting out on the wrong foot is not a good idea in the world that Ray and Ken inhabit. Until that fact was brought up again I didn’t really think about it, as I was too busy enjoying the antics of these two loveable guys. However, the viewer needs to be able to care about Ken and Ray or the second half plot twists and tension just wouldn’t work. Gleeson seems to be naturally loveable as Ken, but Farrell has to make us believe that Ray really is a hit man that is being torn up inside by the atrocious crime he has committed. Ray is and Farrell does.

Ken and Ray work for Harry, a crime boss played by Ralph Fiennes. He doesn’t physically appear until the final third of the movie, but is great when he does. That is one of the best things about this movie; every actor is perfect for their role. I never questioned one of them. Even in some of my favorite movies there are actors, lines or characters that make you go “hmmm?” From the crime boss to the bartender, no one skips a beat in “In Bruges.” Harry eventually delivers his instructions which is when the suspense, action and violence and picks up. Actors from the movie set mentioned earlier become involved with Ray, which adds another needed dimension to the story while not complicating things a bit.

I did mention in the first paragraph that it is a violent film. This is the first time in a while I was actually aware of the gory and excessive violence during my viewing. In this film I believe it to be a necessary narrative device. We come to care about these hit men who kill people for a living. The majority of the film is quiet, funny and set within a beautiful town. Therefore, when these scenes occur within this setting I feel they are meant to shock us back to reality, reminding us of what these people are capable of. Who knows, maybe that wasn’t the intention at all and writer/director Martin Mcdonagh just likes blood and guts.

While I have given you the basic outline thus far, both the characters and plot contain much more detail that I left out. I believe this movie will be more enjoyable if you go in as blind as possible. The sub plots and supporting characters are just so funny, touching and surprising that I feel it is more rewarding to discover them yourself. The script is smart, the setting is beautiful and the actors are fantastic. I highly recommend this movie to anyone who isn’t afraid of a little profanity, politically incorrect hit men or bloody violence.