July 23, 2008 -- “In Bruges” is a movie about killers, thieves, gun dealers, hookers and other criminals hanging out in the idyllic Belgian town of Bruges. It is a very dark comedy that gets sillier and bloodier and less funny as it nears its violent conclusion.

Collin Ferrell (“Alexander”) stars as Ray, a novice hitman who screws up his first kill, a priest in church (played by Ciarán Hinds in an uncredited role). Ray accidently kills a young boy in the process of killing the priest. Ray's boss, Harry Waters (played by Ralph Fiennes of “Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix”) has no problem killing priests, but the boy is another matter. He orders Ray's friend, and fellow hit man, Ken (Brendan Gleeson of “Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix”) to kill Ray. Actually, Ken doesn't really have to bother. Ray is so remorseful over the killing of the boy he is suicidal. If Ray kills himself, this would, as Harry says, solve his problem, Ken's problem and probably Ray's problem as well. It doesn't work out that neatly, of course.

Before Ken receives his orders to kill Ray, the two are ordered by Harry to stay in Bruges, the best-preserved medieval town in Europe, and to keep a low profile. Ken learns that Bruges is Harry's favorite place and his intention is to allow Ray to have a good time before he dies. That, like most other plans in the movie, doesn't work. Ray hates Bruges. To him, it is like living in hell. Ken, however, likes it in Bruges. He likes the architecture and the museums. Ray manages to get in trouble, of course, taunting an American tourist and getting into a fight with other tourists. He hooks up with a pretty woman, Chloë (Clémence Poésy of “Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire”) who is not at all what she appears to be. He also meets a dwarf, Jimmy (played by Jordan Prentice, who looks a lot like Peter Dinklage). Jimmy is playing a part in a movie being filmed in Bruges. Jimmy strikes up a kind of friendship with Ken and Ray as fellow strangers in a strange place. Small time hood Eirik (Jérémie Renier) has a key role in the movie, as does Yuri (Eric Godon) the local gun dealer.

The story revolves around two very strong characters, Harry and Ken. Each of them follows a different moral code, which is very important to each of them in how they make sense of the world and their illegal pursuits. These two different moral codes come into conflict, which provides the film's dramatic tension. Ray has his own moral code, but it is there mainly to provide comic relief. Ray won't hit a woman, for instance, unless she has a bottle in her hand and is trying to hit him with it. He finds an opportunity to test this principle. Although the plot of the film staggers all over the map, it ends up in a very conventional place. For all its darkness, plot twists and bizarre developments, the film has a very old Hollywood sense of moral justice at its heart. As Harry says, “You've got to stick to your principles.” This film rates a B.

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Copyright © 2008 Robert Roten. All rights reserved.
Reproduced with the permission of the copyright holder.

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