Bother in Belgium (film only) (In Bruges (DVD))

Member Name: calypte

Product:	In Bruges (DVD)
Date:	11/05/08 (150 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: very funny, a bit thought-provoking

Disadvantages: not for delicate sensibilities

"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 kept laughing even when it was no longer appropriate - the film does turn much darker, you see. Which leads me to the second complaint: when all you know about the movie you're about to see is that it's a comedy about two hitmen, that really sets up expectations of something much different. Certainly not something rather deep in part, something with a fair amount of emotion and explorations of the human psyche. Thank f*@! there's plenty of laughing about fat people along the way, eh?! ;)

The film starts after a hit has gone wrong, and the two hitmen involved (Colin Farrell and Brendan Gleeson) are sent to lay low for a couple of weeks in Bruges. The introduction comes in the form of several tourist-poster shots of the city and an irreverent (and naughty - see my opening lines!) voice over from Colin Farrell as killer Ray. He hates the picturesque city, whereas partner in crime (literally) Ken is up for the full sight-seeing trip. Add a mix up with the room booking leaving them having to share, and you're just waiting for the friction to reach explosion levels.

The audience is treated to a full entanglement with the tone of the opening half. In other words it's a bit slow: but, both for us AND Ray, so it does kind of work. Think of it as building an emotional connection to the characters. To further help with this, there's a lot of dialogue between the two leads - finding out that the screenwriter more usually writes for the stage explains a lot of the set up. Thankfully, conversations about life and death CAN be extremely funny, albeit usually quite offensive!

Soon, however, the pair's meandering around Bruges - including encounters with aforementioned (and homophobic!) dwarf, some prostitutes and armed robbers, amongst others - takes a turn for the darker, changing the whole mood of the movie. We eventually get a flashback to the hit-gone-wrong, although there has been foreshadowing in the form of lingering shots of Colin Farrell with trembling lip and eyes welling up with tears. This didn't really work for me, and puts a bit of a damper on Farrell's otherwise fairly impressive performance. He's not something I think of as an 'actor' actor, but this is at least an attempt at being otherwise. Brendan Gleeson is likewise putting in a strong performance, which is a very good thing when the movie hangs off the joint talents!

The supporting cast didn't work quite so well for me, particularly the token love-interest, Chloe, who does little bar make cow-eyes at Farrell. I got a bit of a surprise when the boss, Harry, shows up after spending the first half of the movie as just a voice on the end of the phone - not the actor I would have expected to match those dulcet tones! The performance, however, is a bit pantomime, really, or at least a pastiche of a handful of other London gangsters over the years. On the other hand, Jordan Prentice as the dwarf, Jimmy, gets a LOT of the good lines, and his integral part in the whole story just adds a sense of the surreal to the whole proceedings.

The story telling is likewise a strength here. Nothing is told completely linearly, keeping your interest and forcing you to keep your wits about you! For instance, we start with the aftermath of the hit; later we see a flashback, and later still we get something of an explanation - in passing, so do pay attention!

It all adds up to a very non-Hollywood, indy-type movie, which was perfectly 'different' for a trip to the flicks. The un-pc laughs could have been very American Pie-esque, but completely aren't; Hollywood would most likely have picked Paris or London, or somewhere more glamorous - instead, Bruges becomes something of a character in the film, even if the whole movie does seem to take place in the same four streets!

I do think some people are going to hate this movie: it's a bit slow to get going and has more emotion than the comedy/action types might like; conversely, there's a lot of swearing and gutter humour, and just total out-and-out slapstick-ish surrealism to annoy the art-house fans. I do think you need to go in with an open mind, but if you manage not to have too many expectations, this is a pretty enjoyable movie - a good mix of 'message' (or at least, exploration of proper themes/emotions) but thoroughly entertaining along the way.


Overall: dark, brooding, sad and funny. Completely offensive and more than a little twisted. Recommended for those willing to think a bit, but not too much, and fancy something different from their viewing.



Boring bits:
Running time: 107 minutes
Rating: a very obvious 18!

Full cast details can be found on imdb.co.uk - including no less than three people who have visited Hogwarts ;)

Summary: something a bit different - sad, funny, offensive, surreal, dark