In Bruges (2008)

	Directed by: Martin McDonagh	COUNTRY UK/USA GENRE Crime/Drama/ Comedy NORWEGIAN TITLE Undercover i Brügge RUNNING TIME 107 minutes
	Produced by: Graham Broadbent Peter Czernin
	Written by: Martin McDonagh

Cast includes:
CHARACTER	ACTOR/ACTRESS	RATING
Ray	Colin Farrell	½
Ken	Brendan Gleeson
Harry Waters	Ralph Fiennes	½
Chloë	Clémence Poésy	½
Eirik	Jérémie Renier	½
Marie	Thekla Reuten
Jimmy	Jordan Prentice	½

Review

Playwright Martin McDonagh has been the golden boy of the British stage for quite some time, delivering plays in which timeless and classic virtues are depicted through contemporary, often satirized, Irish town life. He turned to film with his award-winning short Six Shooter in 2006, and he has recruited the brilliant Brendan Gleeson once again for his first full-length feature, In Bruges.

This is a genre-aware film, meaning that it arises from and embraces traditional genre elements from both the crime/mafia sub-genre and the pure, Hitchcockesque thriller. The most remarkable feat is how McDonagh blends it all into a clean and classy piece of film. Subscribing to a tradition of timeless works of art, In Bruges has many of the same traits as great classic literature, from the existential dilemmas, situations and choices the characters (ultimately) have to make, to the large and iconographic scenes that define great immortal films.

With the ingenious screenplay, McDonagh verifies that the hype around him as a playwright has been justified. The script has a satisfying concord to it that many other films in this and similar genres lack. But what is perhaps most impressive is McDonagh's vision and execution in the director's chair; In Bruges is arguably the stylistically purest film of the year.

It might seem as if I deem the performances secondary, but that is definitely not the case. Colin Farrell and Brendan Gleeson play wonderfully off each other. The former gets many chances to showcase his comedic talent and timing, and he grabs every single one of them, but still never strays far from the tragic fate of his character. And Gleeson, whom I have hailed so many times before, strikes an achingly and deeply human chord. He is arguably one of the most authentic actors working in films today. He might not have the glamour or the Hollywood factor, but he lays himself bare like few others. Through these two protagonists, McDonagh makes an otherwise clever and funny film also deeply touching – and I haven't even mentioned Ralph Fiennes...