Film Review – In Bruges

November 6th, 2009 | POSTED BY Chad Eng

In Bruges is a film which kind of gave some mixed signals during the previews. I knew it had Colin Farrell in it, so I just assumed it would be a movie for the ladies, like a romantic comedy or something. Some of my other friends thought it was pitched as a Lock Stock and Two Smoking Barrels kind of film. Both were wrong.

The film is kind of a depressing shoot ’em up film set in Brussels, Belgium. Two hitmen travel to Bruges to get their mind off a bad shooting they had some days earlier where Colin shot a kid accidentally. He’s all torn up about it and his friend is trying to get him to relax and enjoy the sights and culture. He doesn’t want anything to do with it. Colin finds a girl who is running drugs and guns for some street thugs, and they eventually get tied up with a dwarf who’s filming a movie in Bruges. Eventually Colin karate chops the dwarf in a hilarious scene. And the best line in the film is “If I’d grown up on a farm, and was retarded, Bruges might impress me. But I didn’t, so… it doesn’t.” Really, the movie is worth it just for the ridiculousness of it all.

In the end of the film, the guy in charge of the hitmen comes after them because the partner won’t kill Colin. The boss goes up into the bell tower to shoot the partner and finds out Colin is down below in the plaza having a drink. The boss runs down the stairs, but the partner beats him down and warns Colin to run. And run he does. They get back to his hotel and there’s a hilarious standoff. It’s actually one of the most funny parts of the film. I thought the film was both depressing and a little campy at the same time.

I didn’t feel for the characters and I don’t think Colin Farrell did that good of job acting in this one. I think the partner is the better actor in this film, honestly. I’d not recommend this one, but the scenery is very beautiful (having been to Bruges, it REALLY is fantastic). Don’t be confused about what this film is about, though. It’s NOT a romantic comedy.

Brendan Gleeson, Colin Farrell, In Bruges, Martin McDonagh, Ralph Fiennes