Hobbled by guilt yet bound by principle, the souls of men long for redemption. One can rent any number of gun-fight thrillers that splatter the screen with blood (Shoot ‘Em Up, Smokin’ Aces) while enjoying comedic releases of tension. Dark-comedy suspense full of bullets and mayhem (Lucky Number Slevin, Crank) are also available. It is hard, however, to suggest a film quite like In Bruges for its dedication to all the above mentioned elements which have their foundations sunk into human shame.
Bruges, Belgium provides a thousand year backdrop to the movie’s setting. After a hit, two gunmen (Ray and Ken played by Colin Farrell, Brendan Gleeson respectively) are instructed by their boss (Ralph Fiennes) to cool off in the ancient town. Awaiting further instruction, Ken encourages Ray to enjoy the beauty and culture of the old European municipality. Here viewers may find themselves wondering in the first twenty minutes of the movie “I thought this was a gangster flick!” The elder Ken inspects canals, architecture, and the interior of cathedrals. The connections to Catholic culture should not be missed as there is some unspoken connection to the church throughout the film.
But what bothers the younger Ray, is much more than boring tourism. After gazing upon an artwork depicting man’s eternal judgment, we discover that Farrell’s character is concerned about his afterlife. The hit (against a priest, no less) has also felled a little boy with an errant bullet. Ray’s conscience plagues him for the rest of the movie, because of this horrendous act: so much so that he intends suicide. Layers of angst are peeled away as we find out Ken questions his own life’s work, having killed so many men. Even the sadistic Harry has principles. The reason for instructions for Ken to kill Ray is based on the bosses’ analysis, “We have to draw the line at killing little boys. If I had done it I would have blown my own head off on the spot.”
Woven within the fabric of Martin McDonagh’s brilliant directorial debut is a cast of characters who deliver untold delights. Jordan Prentice plays a dwarf, anxious to enjoy all life’s pleasures. Clémence Poésy is love interest to Farrell’s Ray whose smile lights up the screen. Add to this wonderful mix, a film is being shot within the city during the time of Ray and Ken’s stay which intermittently plays a role of its own.
Comparisons of McDonagh’s work to the Coen brother’s violent comedic strains are not far off. Yet underneath the ageless set design, haunting musical score, tremendous character development, and exceptional script the core of the movie resides in the inner struggle of human life. Ray’s crying jags and Ken’s conflicted wisdom are at the center of us all, our desire to be good, while knowing goodness is impossible. In the battle with our own sins, knowing we must die, we wish with Ray, “I hope I live, I hope I live.”
Rated R for pervasive profanity, bloody sequences of death, drug use, and violence.
Mark Eckel is Dean, School of Undergraduate Studies at Crossroads Bible College