Something about family vacations always seems artificial and false. A pessimistic view perhaps, but one likely shared by the central character of In Bruges,"" who opens his vacation in Bruges, Belgium by declaring it a shit hole.
The feature-length debut from Martin McDonagh, the director of last year's Oscar-nominated short ""Six Shooter,"" ""In Bruges"" explores the inevitability of consequence and the possibility of redemption, even among the hopelessly wicked.
Ray (Colin Farrell) is the protagonist, and he's not a misanthropic teenager resenting his parents' choice of holiday - he's a bigoted and foul-mouthed hit man in hiding after a job gone awry sends him to the last place the London authorities will be looking for him - a medieval European vacation destination.
Ken (Brendan Gleeson), Ray's kindly babysitter and colleague in the contract killing business, takes a more optimistic view of their impromptu vacation in Bruges - he awkwardly tries to get Ray to take an interest in the sites and the history of the city, which Ray insists would only do it for him if he'd ""grown up on a farm and was retarded.""
Things take a turn when the boss, Harry (Ralph Fiennes), finally calls with instructions for the pair - he wants Ray dead, and he wants Ken to put the bullet in his brain. After deciding that Ray deserves a second chance, Ken sets Ray free and tells Harry to bugger off, inviting a gun-toting finale in the streets of Bruges over unfinished business.
The story, while a bit contrived, serves its purposes in forcing these three characters together whenever possible. Ray and Ken are forced into the same hotel room, where they are constantly in each other's hair. Likewise, Harry is forced to confront Ken for his defection in a crowded bar and a scenic clock tower where they talk before ""the shootout."" This forced proximity breeds some beautiful back and forth dialogue where the film hits its stride - Ray and Ken's family-like bickering is not only hilarious, but makes Ken's compassion for Ray later in the film more believable.
Performances in the film are all over the place, but there's still some good acting to be had. Farrell's character serves his purpose, but his performance is largely forgettable.
Gleeson is great, but is so maudlin and intense throughout the last half of the film that you would forget it's a dark comedy were it not for Fiennes stealing the show when he finally rolls into Bruges to get the dirty work done himself.
Clearly enjoying his role more than anyone else, Fiennes absolutely nails the egomaniacal boss Harry, a character so wrapped up in principle that humanity and compassion are nothing more than mushy words to be scraped off the bottom of his shoe.
By the end, the messages about redemption get a little heavy handed and some of the fun and carnage is dampened by genuine depression, but the dialogue alone makes the film worth the price of admission.
