In Bruges film review

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IN BRUGES

Writer and director Martin McDonagh follows up the success of his Academy Award-winning short Six Shooter with his feature-length debut and, while suffering at times from over-indulgence, on this evidence it's clear he's equally adept with the long format. A black comedy with offbeat charm and a heart, In Bruges is thoroughly entertaining.

Before turning to film, McDonagh had enjoyed considerable success as a playwright, most notably with The Beauty Queen of Leenane. Though born in London, McDonagh has set the majority of his work in his ancestral Ireland. His style is possessed of a forced reality and exaggerated language that while amusing often masks a lack of substance. In Bruges deals in much the same currency, but in the hands of its accomplished cast, proves to be a more engaging and satisfying proposition.

Ken (Brendan Gleeson) and Ray (Colin Farrell) are two Irish hitmen who've been instructed by their merciless boss Harry (Ralph Fiennes) to go to Bruges and await further instructions. For the phlegmatic Ken it's an opportunity to relax and enjoy the picturesque city, but for the tightly-wound Ray, the prospect is decidedly less appealing. "Maybe that's what hell is," he posits, "an eternity spent in Bruges."

The two actors play off each other with a warmth and wit that make it all too easy to forget what line of work Ken and Ray are in. How and why Ray reluctantly finds himself in the Belgian city forms the film's central theme. It's revealed via a series of flashbacks that imbue In Bruges with a poignant and tragic element which contrasts with its absurdist moments, the majority of which involve the dwarf Jimmy (Jordan Prentice) who's in Bruges to act in a movie.

Gleeson is as ever dependably good while Farrell blends a nice comedic touch with a sensitive side. In an unfamiliar guise, Fiennes clearly revels getting in touch with his inner thug as he hams up Harry, though perhaps a little too much to offer a plausible threat.

With his obfuscatory plotting, McDonagh works a little too hard to set up his ending and In Bruges would certainly have been better served with a more disciplined hand. But he certainly wouldn't be the first debutant director to throw in everything just in case he never gets another chance. Clearly though In Bruges offers enough proof that McDonagh is deserving of plenty more opportunities.

Kevin Murphy