...apparently it's in Belgium...
7/10
This odd-couple-abroad gangster movie is an extremely original take on the classic "botched hit" story. Two gangsters played by Colin Farrell and the ever reliable Brendan Gleeson are sent by their boss, Harry, to Bruges to hide out after Farrell's first job goes horribly wrong.
That's about it for the premise, and very little new is brought up for the rest of the film. The important stuff is to do with the character's history and their changing ways, and very well played they are, the only person not utterly changed in the course of the movie is that of Harry.
Ah yes, Harry.
To highlight how much better a movie this than the OTHER brit gangster movie maker's recent attempts, we have Harry, on paper a totally stock Guy Ritchie mentalist, a raging storm in an expensive suit, as foul mouthed as a truckload of Liam Gallaghers n a traffic jam on the M1 in the rain. That in this movie we get to see both sides of Harry (albeit the angry nutter side and the just plain nutter sides) is the real trick and sets him apart from a 2D charicature.
His presence, while not on screen until the film enters its third act, hovers in the background like a cockney fog throughout the first two. It's a towering run out for Ralph Fiennes, a truly crazed, scenery chewing performance nevertheless rendered with nuance and utter conviction. An incredibly hard balance to strike, but one at which the film succeeds.
But really this is Farrell and Gleeson's movie, Farrell's Ray getting many of the movie's funniest lines (displaying a rich talent and comic timing, by the way), and his attempts at tough talk just serve to remind us how rubbish a gangster he really is, in one bizarre affray trying to reference the Vietnam War as a put down to an American but just saying .
Bruges is populated with all manner of odd characters, and the first half is neatly summed up by the drugged up Gleeson's description of "Two manky hookers and a racist dwarf". It really is a fine fun hour or so, with dry wit and humour coming out of its behind.
It's at a crucial point in the plot where the film takes a massive change of style and heads into a more gritty and extremely bloody conclusion where Fiennes's Harry is forced to come to Bruges and sort things out. This final section of the movie differs so much from what has come before it totally threw me for a while - the laughs still come, but they are more bitter and ironic (think more "Ha!" than "heehee"). The final images, in one of the movies habits, references Nic Roeg's Don't Look Now, a shoo in given the medieval streets of Bruges.
It also has the elusive "proper ending" a film like this should have, and I was very satisfied by the whole experience - it won't be for everyone, and its sudden change of tone may leave some with a bitter taste in their mouths, but all in all very much worth your time.
Til next time folks!
A
Monday, September 29, 2008
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Caught 'In Bruges' last night on Sky and I must say I was very impressed. Although I can see why you gave it a 7/10, I do have a couple of 'WTF' moments that made me lose a bit of credibility regarding the movie. Your thoughts would be interesting
ReplyDelete1) What is it that Gleeson's character sees in Ray that stops him from killing him? He says to Harry 'He has the capacity to do good' and yet nothing in the film either before or afterwards indicates that this statement is supported by anything other than wishful thinking. Ray is a nasty character who thinks nothing of blinding, shooting and assaulting people he has just met. Sure he has pangs of conscience over his bad hit, but does that justify Gleeson's faith in him? I think not
2) How did the Canadian find Ray on the train as he's heading out? More to the point why was he on the same train? Too much of a coincidence, I think. Ruined that part of the plot for me. It happened purely so that ray could be back In Bruges as the point Harry turns up. Bad plotting (or a crucial additional scene was edited out...)
A movie has to create it's own reality and stick with it. This movie created a brilliant little reality which had me hooked for quite a while. Then these two flaws dropped it down and rated it a 6/10 for me
Excellent performance by Fiennes though - managing to combine the comic and the nasty while still chewing the scenery - even on the phone!
OK Gary, it's been a little while since I saw it, but here's how I see these;
ReplyDelete1) This issue is nothing to do with Ray - it's all about Gleeson's character. He's having severe doubts about his choices in life and seesa chance to do something different.
2) It's the p9olice force who are looking for Ray too, though I can't be sure 'd say it's them who have found Ray and bring the Canadian along to ID him, although if he is just a passenger it's a big coincidence I don't worry too much about these movie devices - though I'd probably have had the Canadian spot him outside and follow him onto the train personally!
It's an odd movie, but I'm glad you liked it!