In Bruges

In Bruges (Colin Farrell, Brendan Gleeson, Ralph Fiennes) – Ever seen a quirky tragedy?  That is the both the uniqueness and the brilliance of In Bruges, a hilariously funny, dark story of two British hit men, Ray (Farrell) and Ken (Gleason) sent to Bruges, Belgium, to await their next assignment from Harry (Fiennes), their ruthless boss.  Gleason is the cultured one, fascinated by the history and sites of the “best maintained medieval city in the world.”  Farrell is the dunce, bored by everything Bruges has to offer, and depressed over having inadvertently killed a child while murdering his target, a priest (Ciaran Hinds of Munich and Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day).  When the call from Harry comes, Ray is out on a date with a local thank goodness because Harry wants Ken to kill friend Ray (because he killed a child).  It’s all very bazaar, unexpected, and ridiculous.  It even has a thespian dwarf, played by Peter Dinklage (Station Agent) in an uncredited role, filming a movie in town.  The dialogue is magic.  Anyhow, Ray is suicidal over the child’s death and decides to kill himself right as his pal is about to shoot him.  Ken stops him and decides to send him away, even though he knows it means that Harry will come to kill him.  The rest of the movie involves chase scenes, a lot of blood, slow deaths, and irony.  Hard as it is to believe, this is actually funny.  If you love quirky, see this film.  If you love gorgeous scenery, see this film.  If you love great acting, see this movie.  OK, just see the movie already!