MALLINation

Farrell and Gleeson

In Bruges finds its central metaphor in a Hieronymus Bosch vision of purgatory, a crazy mishmash that’s beautiful, disturbing, funny, and ultimately a way station to the next plane of existence for those depicted. As is Bruges itself in the skewed vision of writer/director Martin McDonough, reteaming Brendan Gleeson, star of his first feature Six Shooter.

Gleeson, whose jug-handle ears and bluff features give him a world-weary mien as a well-seasoned hit man is teamed with a never-better Colin Farrell. Farrell’s bushily questing eyebrows seem to run the gamut from outrage to despair all on their own, aided and abetted by his soulful eyes and rangy body language.

At heart, In Bruges is a shaggy-dog allegory that fuses the Tarantino shoot-‘em-up with a dollop of rom-com and a dash of travelogue. Gleeson and Farrell play hit men who are asked by their boss to lay low in Bruges, Belgium after a botched job. The city is a beautiful setting, the renaissance architecture and medieval streets photographed lustrously by Eigil Bryld. Still, as much as Gleeson insists on the wonders of the town Farrell glumly insists on it being a “shithole” despite the presence of lovely Clemence Poesy as a local working on a film crew.
The chemistry between she and Farrell and Farrell and Gleeson is undeniable, and works to make little character quirks like Farrell’s fascination with midgets pay off. Eventually we do meet the boss, played to clenched teeth perfection by Ralph Fiennes. He captures a man who has a strong sense of code if only the barest of control on his own aggression.
In Bruges doles out it’s character information in interesting and surprising ways. The only flaw here is that the need to wrap everything up in the end feels a bit forced. It’s almost as if they could have ended the picture several different ways and decided to try them all.

Nevertheless the excellent acting and breathtaking scenery combine to provide a fetching view of limbo, even if the good times end eventually.