In Bruges (DVD)

The balance between comedy and drama is an intricate one, which, if mastered, can extract some vintage moments. Dark comedies such as these can even exceed the far fetched antics of simpler comedies in terms of humour, something which In Bruges in many ways succeeds in, but occasionally falters, unsure of the generic direction it wants to go in. Suffice to say, the premise of the film is a perfect blend of comedy and drama. Two Irish hit men, sophisticated Ken (Brendan Gleeson) and disturbed Ray (Colin Farrell), are sent on a weekend to the Belgian town of Bruges in the wake of a botched killing. Awaiting further instructions from their quick-tempered boss, ...

"I don't even know where f*@!ing Bruges is." (Long pause) "It's in Belgium." The above is part of the opening voice over of this rather strange little film - so if you're at all offended, this is definitely NOT the movie for you: oodles of swearing, about as un-politically correct as possible, and subject matter including murder, sex, drugs and midgets. I mean dwarfs! Personally, none of that bothered me - it's all done with such humour, and is so equally offensive across a rather wide spectrum, that it felt more funny than 'wrong'. My only complaints are twofold: firstly, that some of the audience ...

The words 'British Gangster Flick'used to send shivers through movie fans bones in the bad old days of crime thrillers, the late 80s and the early 1990s to be specific. Not because the films were particularly violent or scary but because they were bloody awful, Rancid Aluminum and Circus to name but two. Not since The Long Good Friday has it been worth a look. But then cometh Guy Ritchie and his Tarantino rips-offs, Lock Stock and Snatch kickstarting the genre, Gangster Number One, Layer Cake and Sexy Beast completing the comeback for the new millennium. In Bruges is the latest step in that renaissance. Like 'Sexy Beast' this is dialogue heavy in that stylish ...