Spotlight

Spotlight Date: 13-September-09
Spoiler Rating: High

In Bruges (2008)

The first part of Martin McDonagh's In Bruges is an almost perfect combination of dark humor and looming catastrophe. It also provides Colin Farrell with the plum role of his career thus far. The Irish actor plays half of a hit-man team sent to cool off in Bruges, Belgium, after a difficult job in England. Though crass and a bit of a dimwit, his character Ray manifests a conscience by weeping every time the recent job is mentioned. When popping a priest he accidentally killed an altar boy, and the burden of the child's death lies heavily upon his soul.

If that does not sound like a lead-in to comedy, the movie will surprise you. Ray's partner Ken (Brendan Gleeson) is older, wiser, and more educated, which makes for amusing interplay between the two. The setting becomes a running punchline as the beautiful, placid sights of the medieval town appeal to the tourist in Ken while Ray dismisses them as something for farm-bred retards. Ray only gets jazzed by Bruges after discovering a film crew making a trippy movie about a midget, among whom is a pretty drug dealer who gives him her phone number (Clémence Poésy).

Whether enjoying the sights or no, both men wonder why they are in such an out-of-the-way spot and await a call from their employer, Harry (Ralph Fiennes). Ken learns before long that he is there to dispose of Ray, for the foul-mouthed Harry does not condone even accidental child-killing by his hired help. Ken grimly determines to carry out this charge until a timely heart-to-heart with Ray changes his course. This prompts Harry to come to Bruges himself and make sure the job is done right.

The latter part of the picture trades some of its eccentricity for standard violent-guy posturing, but the actors insure that the characters retain their identities. Fiennes is a welcome sight as always and Gleeson gets a moment to shine in the least flashy role. The finale's use of the midget movie comes as a disappointment after the brilliant opening scenes since the circus-like surreality motif is the cinematic equivalent of painting on velvet. But (like Ray) In Bruges should be forgiven its sins, for (not like Ray) it is a predominantly clever piece of work.

Copyright © 2009 The Jujube (M. I. Kim). All rights reserved.