In Bruges

Anybody hoping for a Guy Ritchie or Tarantino-esque hybrid of dark comedy and action upon seeing IN BRUGES (which is what the trailer set expectations for) is sure to be disappointed with this lackadaisically paced jumbling of meditative drama, religious themes, and profane comedy.

If handled differently, these elements might've worked well together, but the style set by the comedic dialogue and warped subplots is so vastly unlike the tone of the rest of the film that it winds up being an awkward combination. The worst offender in this clashing of genres is the somber classical music that plays throughout, which is intrusive enough that it downplays humorous scenes that would otherwise be hilarious. This may explain why the film hasn't been granted a wider release—it certainly doesn't have as much mainstream appeal as the marketing would have you believe.

If you've seen the trailer, here's what you should already know about IN BRUGES: it's a fish-out-of-water story featuring two hitmen (played by Colin Farrell and Brendan Gleeson) hiding out in Belgium after a job. What you probably don't know is their reason for hiding out, and that's where the film gives way for its emotional wallop. To summarize, the aforementioned job didn't quite go as planned, and in turn Farrell's character finds himself dealing with a pretty heavy moral dilemma. Introspective philosophical contemplation and crying ensues.

Despite his weak run in the past few years, Colin Farrell manages to remind us why we took notice of him in the first place, delivering arguably his best performance to date. His cartoonish mannerisms and manic attitude are pitch-perfect, and he's even able to balance it with the more poignant character moments.

The other actors are also excellent, reuniting three members of the HARRY POTTER gang: the aforementioned Gleeson (a.k.a. Mad-Eye Moody), Ralph Fiennes (a.k.a. Voldemort), and Clémence Poésy (a.k.a. Fleur Delacour).

I find it interesting that Martin McDonagh both wrote and directed IN BRUGES, as I love the script yet dislike how it's been translated to the screen. Most of the scenes are shot in rudimentary fashion and the flow of the story is a little too sluggish. At the same time, the dialogue is superb, offering non-stop sharp-tongued quips and uproarious back-and-forth character banter, all perfectly delivered by the actors. There are also plenty of amusing gags, like when a thief gets a blank from a gun shot off in his eyes, and another where Colin Farrell punches a female tourist in the face. But between scenes like this and the numerous exchanges involving such humorous topics as suicidal midgets, race wars, and child abuse, I found it particularly jarring whenever the film would switch back into existential mode.

At the very least, there could've been a way to incorporate the cogitative storyline without creating such drastic tonal shifts. The problems seem to lie more in the way scenes are presented than how they're written. This isn't true for the ending, however, which culminates in an unnecessary segment that's more contrived than it is ironic.

Still, even if IN BRUGES doesn't quite gel as a whole, the spot-on performances and sheer number of laughs make it a worthy excursion. Just don't go in expecting it to be anything like the deceptive trailer.

3 out of 5