In Bruges (2008)

Two Irish hitmen are made to seek shelter and lay low in the town of Bruges in Belgium, a nice, quiet, scenic, fairy tale type of place after their most recent job had a rather large hiccup in it. So, until their angry crime boss employer Harry (Ralph Fiennes) contacts them, Ray (Colin Farrell) and Ken (Brendan Gleeson) must hang out and try to enjoy themselves, something that seems fae easier for the older, more reserved Ken than it does for the younger, antsy Ray.Given the set up, and the fact that this has some really funny and witty dialogue, and that it is a darkly comedic thriller (huge emphasis on dark, not as much on thriller-it's not an action movie, well, not conventionally), this could have easily turned into a very typical and derivative film. That it is not is not only a blessing, but also something really awesome, becuase it shows there's hope that originality, style, and creativity haven't completely died out...yetA lot of this mvoie is just Ken and Ray sightseeing and bantering back and forth, but these are developed characters who are both really interesting, have actual stuff to talk about, and there's some good subtext and symbolism as well, which I always appreciate, especially when it is of the religious, yet not preachy variety. The film was shot on location, and the results are great. This is a neat looking city, and I wouldn't be surprised if the place hasn't had an increase in tourists over the past four years as a result of this movie. It seems like the sort of place I'd probably be interested in seeing, but not just becuase of this film. The score, done by one of my favorites (Carter Burwell), is quite nice, which is to be expected, and, while it is really good overall, it does a particularly good job of bringing out the darker side of the story, especially when we find out why the pair are in Bruges, and why they act the way they do, especially Ray.Gleeson and Farrell are wonderful together, and have good chemistry. I've seen several films with Gleeson in them before, but I never really thought much of the man. I think I'll be changing this now. For thsoe who think that Farrell doesn't have talent, just see this movie. He won a Golden Globe for his work, and he really does do a good job. I've never doubted he had real talent, but this seals the deal. Ralph Fiennes is also quite good at playing the cold blooded and menacing crime boss. All in all, this is quite a terrific work. It's just mainstream enough to appeal to a wide audience, yet artsy enough to set it apart from the typical crap that gets made about hitmen in foreign places without reeking of pretentiousness. Do yourself a favor and give this one a watch, it's awesome.