Review of In Bruges (2008) by Harry H — 20 Feb 2013

You may go in thinking it has a standard hitman movie formula, but In Bruges uses genre conventions to its advantage, juicing plenty of clever dialogue out of its setting and enjoyable performances from the three lead actors.

Colin Farrell plays Ray, a hitman new to the job who is sent to the Belgian city of Bruges with his older, more experienced partner, Ken (Brendan Gleeson). Ray wholly dislikes the city, while Ken is rather impressed by it.

Soon however, their boss, Harry (Ralph Fiennes), reveals further, more sinister details on why he sent them there and new instructions to be carried out. Tourists (many of which they correctly and incorrectly assume are Americans, medieval buildings, boating canals, and Belgian film crews are the sites the two guns for hire are surrounded by and find themselves immersed in, all to their eventual (if not previous) displease.

Coupled with a pleasantly complex soundtrack from Carter Burwell, the long-time music collaborator of the Coen Brothers, and brisk, bloody action, the movie succeeds at being entertaining and wittily off-kilter in dealing with the standard dealings of the genre.