In Bruges: McDonagh's Dark Comedy

Colin Farrell, Ralph Fiennes as Irish Assassins Trapped In Bruges

Mar 1, 2009

Farrell and Fiennes as Irish hit men learn the importance of life and morality after spending two weeks together in Bruges, a small Belgian city.

Even though In Bruges is only Martin McDonagh’s second film since 2004, audiences took notice of this viscerally gruesome tale nominated this year for an Academy Award in Best Writing. It stars Colin Farrell as Ray and Brendan Gleeson as Ken in a film that centers more around dialogue than shoot em' up action.

Playing two Irish assassins – one a veteran and the other a novice – Ray and Ken make a hit and have to relocate to Bruges, Belgium, to lay low until their boss Harry Waters, portrayed by Ralph Fiennes, sends the follow-up orders.

They spend nearly two weeks in the city, Ray wanting to spend his time in pubs and Ken desiring to tour the medieval attractions in the city. Their experiences include meeting a racist-actor-dwarf, a beautiful drug-dealing local named Chloe and assaulting snobby tourists.

In the end both learn the importance of choosing life and seek to start theirs over anew.

In Bruges is violent, filled with realistic gore and expletives but is also full of a dark Irish wit bordering on nihilism. Simple conversations often turn into hilarious dialogues between Ken and Ray, who both have differing philosophies in life.

In Bruges’ Morality Seen Through A Warped Glass

Much of McDonagh’s work touches on the issue of morality. To the average person the characters would be labeled "heartless monsters," but each has developed their own sense of when lines are crossed, even if they’ve already committed heinous acts of violence many times.

Farrell’s character Ray feels tremendous guilt for accidentally shooting a young boy during his first hit. Before his accident Ray killed a priest, and even though his aspirations have been to make money off of murder, he begins to rethink what he wants in life and even ponders suicide.

Other McDonagh works, including the play The Lieutenant of Inishmore in 2001, examine contradictory moral codes created and followed by members of the Irish Republican Army.

Memorable Performances By Farrell and Gleeson

Both actors in the film bring an interesting contrast among two vastly different personalities.

Farrell, often criticized for being a mainstream heart throb and lackluster actor, gave a hilarious yet dark rendition of Ray, while Gleeson, recognizable from classics like Braveheart, convincingly portrays a jaded, veteran assassin interested in helping Ray through his emotional troubles.

Fiennes, from Schindler’s List and the recent Harry Potter series, is only seen in the final scenes of the film as he travels to Bruges to kill young Ray. He creates a sadistically frightening character who only grows sentimental when discussing Bruges’ “fairy tale” quality.

Jordan Prentice plays the dwarf Jimmy who meets Ray on the set of a film being produced in Bruges. Jimmy is an American and lectures Ray and Ken on his theory that a civil war is about to begin between whites and blacks. His character Jimmy is a sarcastic, angry character who demands that no one call him a "midget."

Enjoyable Rating: 6 out of 10 for dark wit, hilarious dialogue but tends to drag in some parts.

MPAA Rating: Rated R for strong bloody violence, pervasive language and some drug use.

Cast:

If You Like “In Bruges” You’ll Also Like: Grosse Pointe Blank or No Country For Old Men

The copyright of the article In Bruges: McDonagh's Dark Comedy in British Films is owned by Mckenzie Cassidy. Permission to republish In Bruges: McDonagh's Dark Comedy in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.