Rating of
3.5/4
"Hooray for Hitmen!"
MovieGuy878 - wrote on 05/29/09
"In Bruges" is a great example of a movie that's better than it should be. The take on hitmen have been tackled in movies a good amount, but it has never been this good. The movie is a dark comedy at its core, yet it has some affective drama thrown in. Both of the genres oddly mix wonderfully, and is balanced well. I went in not expecting much, but i gladally was suprised. The story of "In Bruges" is one that gradually hooks you in and works for your respect. "In Bruges" is daring, occasionally poetic, and a real breath of fresh air.The story is a deep character study and cautionary tale that works with its great, memorable characters. All characters are flawed, but they grow on you. "In Bruges" takes risks, but they all pay off with amazing results. All of this couldn't be possible if it wasnt for a guy named Martin Mcdonagh (writer of another dark comedy winner, "Grosse Point Blank"). He pulls double duty as writer and director, and scores in both places. His directing's debut shows his own dark, yet artsy style i like a lot. McDonagh's direction is impressive, but its his true talent that will take him places. He writes a brillantly intricate screenplay thats meshes a dark comedy and a drama beautifully. McDonagh's screenplay's includes some great humor with some really good dialouge that will stick in you head for days. His screenplay even manages to include smaller characters ,who play in vital to how the movie plays out.The screenplay shouldn't have just been nominated but won the oscar.
"In Bruges" has a brilliant cast of 3 british actors who turn in 3 of the best proformances you'll see in 2008. Colin Farrel (deserving Golden Globe win) shows some suprisingly comedic chops while showing that raw emotion he showed in "Tigerland". If Farrell keeps acting like this, i feel his career can get back on track. Brendan Gleeson has great chemistry with Farrell and turns in a wonderful proformance, showing he's a real underrated actor. No suprise here, but it's Ralph Finnes who steals the movie as the villian in a supporting role. Finnes's work in this and past work show he's an unstoppable acting force in villan roles. All 3 of theses proformances were robbed of nominations and awards. Movies like these usually dont merit any mention of its visual aspects, but "In Bruges" has some beautiful cinematography that gets the tone and the mood of the move right. There's also some slick editing, and haunting score that shouldve gotten more considersation for best score. There are some many memorable parts of the film but my favorite scene has to be the ending thats total 180 degrees in the other direction from the first two acts. The ending wraps up all the major characters superbly and its last lines were oddily touching and powerful. "In Bruges" isn't a flawless film. While, i liked the ending a lot, i felt it could've been more fleshed out by being 10-15 minutes longer. The movie also takes a little while to get going until it reallty shows what its made of. "In Bruges" is true achivement in a age where movies are recycled over and over again or doesnt even try. Thanks to it's top notch acting , a wonderful screeplay, and a daring approach, "In Bruges" is one of best of 2008 and the best comedies in a while.
