Sometimes, Hollywood seems to think that a creative person who has shown themselves to be proficient in their own field will easily transfer their skills to the realm of directing. Most times, this doesn’t work. The most recent example that comes to my mind is Frank Miller’s directorial debut, The Spirit. Miller’s graphic novels are nothing short of genius. The adaptations of his novels into films have all been stunning and beautiful, to say the least. The Spirit is shit.
It is quite another story with In Bruges, the first film from playwright Martin McDonagh. I know absolutely nothing about this man, except to know that I will be first in line at whatever film he does next. It is easy to jump on the bandwagon of a director after only one film. It always makes me feel something akin to love for a director when their first attempt at directing comes across so well. However, this one is easily justified. On the surface, one can see why it isn’t too surprising that I fell so hard for this movie: Colin Farrell, Brendan Gleeson, Ralph Fiennes, Irishmen, hitmen, sex, humor, drugs, etc. But, this movie is much, much more than just what lies on the surface.
In Bruges, for all its elements, is actually just a tale of redemption, and a powerful one at that. The journey to get there helps make the movie so entertaining, but in the end, the redemption of lovable, but despicable, characters is what drives this movie. There is a wonderful “twist” at the end, which tends to cheapen a good movie in a lot of instances, but is almost completely necessary here. The first half of the movie is dedicated to making you connect with the amoral hitmen throughout their “vacation” in the town of Bruges, Belgium. It is effective. By the climax of the action, I found myself strongly rooting for all of the players involved: protagonists and antagonist. This is the type of well-rounded, complete story that we so very rarely see come out of Hollywood and justifies the amount of time people like myself waste watching shit movies in the attempt to find another instant classic like this one.
Coupled with the wonderful story is the ridiculously beautiful cinematography. One could argue that it doesn’t take much skill to film a town as beautiful as Bruges and have it turn out well. But, it’s much more than that. The shots are masterful in creating moods within the viewer. The daytime shots are excellent. They remove all the fanfare of the town. The ancient city is shown as an attraction, brightly lit and appealing, and a backdrop for ignorant foreign tourists.. The beauty of Bruges becomes an actual player in the comedy of the scenes. The nighttime shots, and the excellent interior shots darken the mood and pull the action right along. The shadows elevating Bruges to an ancient, mischievous being. Bruges almost becomes one of the conspirators against the protagonists.
The haunting score invariably approaches perfection. In the lighter scenes, as opposed to breaking the mood of the score prior to these parts, there is simply silence. As the moods of the film darken, the main theme of the score continues along and simply becomes another player in the film.
The script is also marvelous. The story is continually driving toward the shocker ending, but unlike others in this genre, you’ve no idea that this is what it’s building to. The climax, while being completely thrilling, still yanks at the heart strings. And, throughout it all, the morbid sadness of the story is never once enough to keep you from giggling.
Finally, the three actors are a powerhouse, and it’s impossible to pick a best performance from the three. Farrell’s bumbling young punk, later revealed to actually have a heart, wildly swings from horrendous to hopeless to heartwarming to humorous. Gleeson’s patriarch of a hitman is such a classic father role that it makes you forget that he is, in fact a violent killer, until it’s thrust upon you. Fiennes’ obsessive crime boss starts as the classic foul mouthed boss, and blindsides you with his human side. The movie fires right up with amazing performances, and scene after scene the momentum just carries and builds.
It is so rare to see such a masterful first stroke. From the writing to the cinematography, to the casting, to the location, to the performances, to the score, the film never comes short of wonderful. In Bruges, regardless of McDonagh’s next films, will forever be his masterpiece.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KoE9edjEDCI]
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