In Bruges (2008)

After having seen "In Bruges" I doubt that it increased my desire to go on a journey to actually see Bruges but I am definately glad I came to see this film. This is a mixture of drama and black comedy that really works out very well and fortunatelly the drama surpasses the comedy. I expected this to be more like a Guy Richtie film or something and though it has edges off weird laughs in it, it is at the same time much more profound and serious.

"In Bruges" tells the story of two hitmen, named Ken and Ray, who just escaped from London to hide - of course - in Bruges. Why in Bruges? Good question. At least their boss Harry whose character is only heard on the phone in the first half of the picture thinks it's a beautiful city.

Ken is played by Brendan Gleeson. He is an older, calm and open minded man and he actually enjoys the time in Bruges. Ray on the other hand (Farrell) hates to be stuck in this place.
At first the young and energetic Ray seems to be a nervous guy. He is not nervous, he suffers from remorse. We find out that he accidentally killed a little boy at their last job. If you are feeling terrible anyway you might know that it generally makes things even worse if on top of that you are somewhere where you don't feel comfortable in the first place.

There are two smaller roles to support Ray and clear his mind him from his evil thoughts for a while. One is a pretty girl named Chloe he meets on one of Ken's sight-seeing tours. Their little romance is fun and natural and gladly doesn't get too much in the focus to distract from the main storyline.
Secondly there is the little "dwarf" Jimmy. I had some tiny (indeed!) problems with his character as for a long time he just seems to stand in for some (weird) laughs and discussions without being very relevant to the story. But he certainly gets his moments.

When the plot finally starts its major conflict be prepared for some nice twists and turns.

All of our killers have their principles but they are not cold-blooded monsters and actually evolve in the course of the film. This touch of humanity makes the movie so satisfying and accessable. And it makes things play out in an unexpected way. Ken who seems to be the experienced and balanced man is also struggling with the morals of his job and even Harry - wacky and unlikeable as he appears to be - has a heart somewhere deep inside.

What makes the film stand out is that the story is driven by its characters and not by a lame formular. It's hardly predictable and the events are grounded in the moral decisions of the three killers.

The central themes in the film are guilt, atonement and forgiveness. At one point Farrell asks his partner if he believes in heaven and hell and if there is such a thing as some kind of punishment for your deeds after life. He doesn't really know.

I too don't know if there is a hell and if so I don't think it would look like Bruges. But guilt and forgiveness are not a matter of believe. It's feelings that haunt you until you paid for what you have done in whatever way. You must get rid of one to receive the other ... and death doesn't necessarily equal redemption.