After Colin Farrell's character repeatedly disses Bruges in every manner possible, it's just fitting that Bruges takes her revenge on him when he is forced to face his demons in the town square. A little hide-out plan gone sour, two assassins try to lay low in Bruges until they get their next orders when things take a U-turn. At times grotesque and morbid, the film has a nice balance between noir and comedy. The acting take top honors in this tale of friendship among rats of humankind, especially since the script is lacking some of McDonagh's sharp and insightful dialog from his plays. Even though his genius shines through the first part of the film when the two hitmen carry on a series of conversations about religion, murder, life, and being a tourist among other things, his script gets muddied by the action once the gunfights begin.Colin Farrell and Brendan Gleeson are the perfect pair for this film so kudos to the casting. The calm, fatherly figure that Gleeson portrays is an almost exact opposite to the impatient, spontaneous, and fearless character Farrell brings to life. The conversations between these two odd-ends remind me a bit of Tarantino's films where gangsters get disgusted by mayo on fries and learn to swing dance. Ralph Fiennes completes the trio with his focused and cold-blooded character who is also a disciplined father of three. These men seem more real and human than any other assassin you might have gotten the privilege to get to know on screen. This is attributable to both McDonagh's script and the trio's acting.
I can't write about this film without talking briefly about its visuals as it uses the dark, old and cold streets of Bruges to full effect to create its brooding atmosphere. All in all, this is a film I would definitely recommend as it is witty and entertaining; a successful screen debut for McDonagh.
No comments:
Post a Comment