Review of In Bruges (2008) by Gary C — 05 Dec 2012

Failed hit man Colin Farrell is sent to Bruges with fellow hit man and friend Brendan Gleeson to lay low after the botched murder of a priest results in the death of a small boy. Sounds like a barrel of laughs doesn't it? But this endlessly surprising film is just that.

The dialogue is extremely smart and witty and it's full of very funny and politically incorrect humour as well as gangster related drama and surreal situations that's slightly reminiscent of a rather more cerebral and literary Guy Ritchie movie.

Farrell is great as a culturally inept childish oaf who you can't help liking and despite the humorous approach and dubious morality of everyone involved you actually start to care about them all.

I particularly liked the way that their moral "code" is shown as absurdly misplaced and hypocritical rather than honourable and the script is quirky but never resorts to self-conscious "I'm mad, me!" wackiness.

It's refreshingly unpredictable right to the end and I really, really enjoyed it. People who don't like the "f" or "c" words should definitely steer clear though!