Reviewed by Lamar Kukuk
3/1/08
If you're Catholic, or if
you get all of your theology from the movies, you probably believe in Purgatory,
the place where souls neither so pure as to ascend to Heaven nor so wicked
as to be damned to Hell endure a process of purification which may allow
them to move past their sins. Ray, the emotionally damaged goofball
hero of In Bruges, finds himself in such a place, caught between
one man who seeks to offer forgiveness for some very severe sins and another
who plans to dole out the ultimate punishment. Bruges, the
feature debut of Oscar-winning short film director (and noted playwright)
Martin McDonagh, is laugh out loud hilarious at times and darkly thoughtful
at others. Shot in the Best Preserved Medieval City in Belgium, it's
also a beautiful movie to look at, even if the wonders of that city are
lost on a jittery, suicidal criminal like Ray.
Something has gone horribly
wrong on a job undertaken by hitmen Ray (Colin Farrell) and Ken (Brendan
Gleason), and their boss Harry (Ralph Finnes) sends them into a very specific
hiding place: the Belgian city of Bruges. The quiet, thoughtful
Ken takes an immediate liking to the Medieval architecture, canal rides
and historic sites, while Ray can't wait to get out. He needs action
and he needs it now, not the least because the quiet only makes him think
more about the heinous crime he's just committed. He does find something
interesting in town: a movie shoot where dwarf (Ray would correct
me: that's “midget”) actor Jimmy (Jordan Prentice) is shooting bizarre
dream sequences. On that set, he meets drug dealer Chloe (Clemence
Poesy), with whom he starts a relationship, one that continues even after
she kinda sets him up to be robbed by her boyfriend Eirik (Jeremie Renier).
But all is not wine, roses and cocaine in Bruges, because Harry has made
a decision about what's to be done to correct his employee's slip up:
Ken is to kill him, if Ray doesn't kill himself first.
Like any good Purgatory,
In Bruges (that's pronounced “Brooge”) is filled with people who're
not particularly good, but who're too much fun to seem all that bad either.
Chief among them is Ray, given full, delightful life by Farrell in one
of his best performances. He's not too bright, having never liked
history in school and unable to name more than one of the many “midgets
who offed themselves” despite being fascinated by that fact. But
just about everything that comes out of his mouth is either hilarious or
heartbreaking thanks to a performance that knows exactly how to punch a
politically incorrect joke and to shed a reluctant tear. Gleason
is in his usual fine form as Ken, Ray's polar opposite: he's seen
enough of murder and could easily spend the rest of his days as a humble
tourist. Finnes is a scary delight: always one of the best
movie villains, here he layers a hilariously awkward humorlessness on top
of relentless and very funny profanity. Henry is a man of principals,
which is to say he'll only kill certain people, but when he's on your tail,
watch out: even his teeth are scary! Prentice is also a hoot
as the actor: he has a great drug-fueled speech about his well thought-out
belief that there will be a war “between the blacks and the whites”.
I also loved the games McDonagh plays with the traditionally demeaning
roles available to “midgets” in the movies (something which is finally,
slowly, beginning to change).
McDonagh (probably best known
to American audiences for the Tony-nominated play The Pillowman)
has been compared to David Mamet, and it's easy to see why: his dialog
absolutely sings and his plotting errs only on the side of not even realizing
there is a top to go over. There's a wonderfully spontaneous ease
to the way his characters talk and interact, and even their most “scripted”
exchanges have a way of wandering all over the map in the same way real
conversation does. His film makes great use of a city most Americans
have never even heard of (sorry, Europe, but you really shouldn't expect
more of us by this point), and serves as a nifty travelogue in addition
to its' laughs and thrills. And he directs with a ton of confidence:
you'd never think that you were watching someone's feature directorial
debut. Kuddos are also due for Eigil Bryld's cinematography and Carter
Burwell's top-shelf score.
There's a great air of melancholy
that hangs over McDonagh's story, no matter how funny it is, heightened
when we see what it is that Ray has done and the lengths to which old friends
Ken and Harry will go to decide his fate. The ancient city that surrounds
them is a perfect setting for this classic moral struggle, making Bruges
more a character than a simple backdrop. It's only in the final scenes
when the melodrama threatens to get away from McDonagh, but he does manage
to reclaim the reigns for a final voice-over that ends things on the perfect
note of thoughtful comic uncertainty.
There were times when I loved
In Bruges, and others when I merely liked it, but the opening night
selection of this year's Sundance Film Festival should play to an audience
far broader than simply those interested in its' philosophical bent because
it's extremely funny and awfully violent. It's a nice chance to remember
why we were so interested in Colin Farrell before too many Miami Vices
had sanded all the interest off his screen persona, and it makes me enthusiastic
to see what McDonagh does next. Anybody who can offer deep thought
about the nature of life and death in a movie that contains the line “Look!
They're filming midgets!” should have a long future in this business. |
