Three and 1/2 stars
"In Bruges," playing at the Manor Theatre in Squirrel Hill, is a film that is very politically incorrect, populated with totally unsavory characters who are, to put it politely, profoundly profane.
In spite of all of this, the film is also one of the most amusing and creative black comedies one may see this year.
"In Bruges" is the brainchild of Irish writer-director Martin McDonagh and concerns what happens between two working-class Irish assassins after a hit goes terribly wrong.
To begin with, they are sent out of the country to the Belgian city of Bruges (rhymes with "rouge") by their boss until things cool down at home.
There could never be an odder couple than these two killers.
Ken (Brendan Gleeson) is a heavy-set older man, a world-weary veteran of life within the Mob, but upon arriving in Bruges, he becomes totally captivated by the fairy-tale quality of the city.
It is not long before Ken becomes immersed in the history, architecture, canals and peacefulness that define Bruges.
Ray (Colin Farrell), on the other hand, is a young, up-and-coming killer within the Mob. Ray is brash, flip and so "into-the-moment" that if he isn't experiencing acute attention deficit disorder, he's polarizing those around him with his complete lack of social graces.
Consequently, the sights and charms of Belgium's quintessential medieval city are completely lost on Ray.
If anything, he feels as if he has been sentenced to a purgatory not unlike the Hieronymus Bosch paintings that adorn the Bruges art galleries.
Ray receives a glimmer of hope that there may be life in this ancient city after all when he catches the eye of Chloe (Clemence Poesy), a captivating young blond who is dealing drugs on the set of a movie shoot not far from where Ken and Ray are staying.
Ken, in the meantime, is on the phone with their murderous boss, Harry (Ralph Fiennes), who is clearly not happy with the outcome of the duo's last job and, in no uncertain terms, spells out that he holds Ken responsible for making things right.
McDonagh also colors his character landscape with a "puff" Belgian thug, a surly Canadian, a pregnant hotelier and an American midget. Plus, in many ways, the city of Bruges, itself, becomes a character in the way its very presence shades the fringes of the film.
Ray's rants on Bosch are no accident. With such unusual characters in such an unlikely locale, McDonagh has created a cinematic version of Bosch's paintings in which Bruges isn't a vacation spot as much as it is a purgatory for wayward souls who are on the fence between heaven and hell.
And that is the charm and the challenge McDonagh embraces with "In Bruges," for despite the evil that his characters do, their time in Bruges shows them to have some redeeming qualities and a deeper understanding of their own needs for redemption. These aren't so much "bad guys" as people who have made bad choices in their lives.
The depth of these characters is wonderfully realized by the actors playing them.
As Ken, Gleeson has the physical presence of a Mob thug, yet he is able to project an inner sense of humanity, nobility and principle regarding his character that is actually quite poignant.
Farrell's performance as Ray is a revelation. He is at times insanely funny, acidic in his abrasiveness, yet guilt-ridden and haunted to such a moving effect that one can understand why a woman might sense there is more to this guy than what initially meets the eye.
The same thing can be said about "In Bruges." It has much more going for it than people might think. It is a black comedy that has as much heart as it does hostility.