Review of In Bruges (2008) by Python2000 — 30 Dec 2013

Most black comedies aren't exactly black.

I think this because most of them are funny, but the good jokes aren't exactly black. For example in the mediocre 2013 film The Family all of the jokes that I laughed out loud at were reasonably upbeat or dark but not black. This can be found in many other black (I might start renaming them bleak just for literal accuracy) comedies like Thank You For Smoking, The Men Who Stare At Goats and Fargo.

In Bruges is an exception it has a mix of black and upbeat jokes and all of them are hilarious. Whether there about dwarves, elephants, gay beers or cupboards. Every second is hysterical. But every second is also very exciting, somehow I was even interested when Ray and Ken were discussing who's allowed to shoot themselves. Even classics like The Naked Gun and Office Space get a bit slow moving in places, this doesn't.

That was a great achievement and surprised me, but the most amazing thing about the writing and direction of In Bruges is that somehow Martin McDonagh makes the viewer care about the characters. Colin Farrell is a child murderer and should be one of the least likable little in movie history. Yet somehow I was constantly rooting for him in the last 30 minutes and almost cried when he was talking to his dying partner in crime. Ralph Fiennes character Harry is even worse! And I was almost crying for him too! Hell I was almost crying at the death of a cocaine snorting, prostitute client midget. Never would you expect to find a black comedy about murder and Belgium more emotional than The Green Mile and Marley and Me put together. It totally took me by surprise.