In Bruges

I never really care how much movies make at the box office. Of course I want the movies I like to do well but ultimately as long as I have the opportunity to see the film then that is all I try to concern myself with. With that out of the way, there is a big part of me that hopes that this film becomes a big hit. When else are you going to see a film about Dublin hit-men, drugs, a dwarf, and tourism all thrown together and with offensive jokes towards all these subjects? Throw in a few anti-American remarks and a number of homophobic characters and you have In Bruges.

Now, do I think this film will become a hit? Absolutely not. The story for this takes one bizarre turn after another and characters act exactly the opposite of expected and then turn around and do exactly what is expected, but not in a way anticipated. Bruges is somehow able to tell a somewhat straightforward story in a completely original way, one that is both extremely strange and laugh out loud funny. There are also moments of poignancy that make you care about these characters more than you ever expected. Then the whole story meanders its way through medieval art and Hollywood, yet somehow completely make sense.

I am not familiar with any of writer/director Martin McDonagh's previous work but I am going to search for it. I know he is primarily a playwright but and that he also won an Academy Award in 2006 for his short film Six Shooter, also starring Gleason. If that short is even half as original as his feature than it will be well worth watching. He has the sort of original voice in his writing that is like David Mamet, whom I've read he is sometimes compared. It is the type of dialogue that is in no way realistic yet sounds like the everyday speech.

The film also features three central performances that somehow find the perfect grounding for this bizarre film, feeling real when surrounded by the most absurd of situations. Brendan Gleason is the noble elder killer for hire, with a face filled with years of sadness only hinted at in one drug fueled scene. Ralph Fiennes is the crime lord, both menacing and funny with a hint of sympathy at his edges. The best performance, though, comes from Colin Farrell. He has sort of reinvented himself from one of Hollywood's bad boys to a sort of lovable loser. With this and Cassandra's Dream he has used his large puppy dog eyes to show a level of sadness and regret but also use his natural charms to allow humor to flow from his characters. He has some of the best lines in a movie filled with great ones.