[DVD] In Bruges (2008)

Forgive My Sins, Father

So what happens when a hitman botches a job and has to go into hiding? Essentially this film is about 2 hitmen, one played by Colin Farrell and the other by Brendan Gleeson, who cannot be more at opposite ends of the spectrum when told to take refuge in the Belgian medieval town of Bruges. The former hates the boring place, while the latter is simply intrigued by its culture and history. It's bickering all the way with tons of creative vulgarities thrown in for good measure by writer-director Martin McDonagh, as this buddy movie goes against the grain with some insanely funny situations that deal with romancing a drug pusher and a dwarf who harbours strong race relations, coupled with some out-of-this-world dialogue that provides some new vocabulary and usage patterns for swearing.

While Bruges may serve up a "character" in its setting, the show gets undeniably stolen when Ralph Fiennes enters the picture slightly after the halfway mark, as the boss character with zero remorse in seeking out those who fail to obey his orders, to dish out some severe punishment to just about anyone who stands in his way. And it's still a graphically violent film since bullets are of the dum-dum variety, leaving a messy trail of blood and some gore when it approaches the climax of the story.

You can read my DVD review of In Bruges at movieXclusive.com by clicking on the logo below.