Summary
A young hitman for the mob is sent to Bruges, a quaint touristy medieval town, after a hit doesn’t go as planned. With nothing interesting to distract him, he is left alone with his thoughts, and his guilt over past actions.
Delightfully Different
One of the more delightful things to me as a film viewer is when a movie completely subverts my expectations in a delightful, not disappointing, way. Martin McDonagh’s “Three Billboards Outside of Ebbing Missouri,” was one of those films for me last year, so I figured I would check out another of his films, “In Bruges.”
In Bruges starts out as the story of a young mobster, played by Colin Farrell (“The New World”) who has been sent to the town of Bruges to lie low after he was involved in a hit gone wrong. He is accompanied by and older mobster and friend played by Brendan Gleeson (“The Ballad of Buster Scruggs”) who is supposed to keep an eye on him. The town is a quaint little medieval village full of touristy things to do but this all simply annoys and bores Colin Farrell.
As his agitation and boredom grow we see his mean, sarcastic, and, frankly, funny wit and harsh treatment of everyone around him. Everyone hates this guy and the fat jokes, midget jokes, and downright offensive language and jokes he employs, trying to distract himself from this town where nothing happens.
Story and Acting
The subversion in this film is in how funny it starts. In fact, if you watch this movie online, most sources will categorize it as comedy. I think that is a huge mistake. The first 1/3 of it is funny but then the twists begin and it becomes a hardcore drama.
I don’t want to spoil this movie but Colin Farrell’s character has good reasons for being a cranky drunk. He’s not a good man, knows it, and regrets it. As other forces begin to conspire to kill him, Brendan Gleeson, who has been annoyed with him as well, begins to mentor him and care for him as he works through this realization of who he is and what it means for his life.
This movie doesn’t start out looking like a film about a man’s redemption but by the end of it, everything in you wants him to be given another chance to do right.
The story and characters are really the star here. I haven’t mentioned any of the little twists and character interactions that make this movie feel real and soul moving. The cinematography is competent but nothing to write home about. There are a couple little action sequences that work well but I would never call this movie an action film or give a thumbs up or down to the film on that basis alone.
The Verdict
What blows you away in this film is the acting and the story. Who these characters are and what happens to them become important to you. Seeing Farrell come out renewed and saved becomes your own hope. The brilliance of this film is that it gives you a hatred and revulsion for a disgusting, offensive, and violent man, and turns you to caring for him and his life to be on the mend.
Taking you on a journey from hatred to love? What else could you want from a film?
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