As a genre, black comedy is like a chemistry equation. You’ve got to get it exactly right, or else the slightest imbalance will throw the whole thing off, and the experiment, more often than not, will fail. Either the jokes themselves aren’t funny, or there is a tendency to lean too hard into the grimness or the violence. Striking the right balance is a rarity but when you get it right, as Irish playwright Martin McDonagh did in his feature film directorial debut In Bruges, the result is a memorable one.
In Bruges carefully and deliberately introduces its characters and the elements of the plot, to great effect. Two hitmen, the young and brash Ray (Colin Farrell) and the grizzled but empathetic veteran Ken (Brendan Gleason), are placed in Bruges, Belgium, and are ordered to hide out there by their unseen boss, Harry (Ralph Fiennes). There’s an air of mystery to what exactly happened and what they are running away/hiding out from that isn’t shown until a good 25 minutes into the film, and it’s a doozy. In the meantime, we get little hints as Ray is going stir-crazy, bored of out his mind pent up in the quaint medieval town, while Ken enjoys the sights and takes in the culture.
The chemistry between each of the characters is electric, and they each develop a special sort of relationship. The cliched fourth character is the city of Bruges itself, which lends a real vibe to the film – the color palettes, the bewitching little score, the gothic architecture all give us a sense of timelessness and mood from the very beginning,, almost like a hazy dream. It’s clear that this was shot on location, which really utilitize the real-world uniqueness of the town. Bruges itself is clearly an allegory for purgatory (“That’s the in-betweeny one. You weren’t really shit, but you weren’t all that great, either… like Tottenham”), and that’s why Ray hates it: the waiting around not knowing when you can leave, the frozen-in-time aspect, and the fact that they go there after committing a pretty heinous act.
The religious imagery is almost ever present, and at various points we see priests, confessionals, discussions about God and the afterlife, artwork about heaven and hell and judgment day. But although the guilty conscience forms the lynchpin of the movie, most of the movie is filled with jokes, many of which are laugh-out-loud funny with a very British wit and sense of humor. So many of the jokes, even the crass and seemingly unnuecessary ones, pay off in ways that you would not expect. This is a sparkling, tight script but the dialogue is what really stands out. The special moments are when McDonagh combines the grim and the humorous – there is one running line of jokes in particular about a lollipop man that brought me crashing back down to earth with a single serious line when I was in mid-guffaw. That tonal balance is almost impossible to get right, but In Bruges shows us why it’s worth striving for.
Thematically and symbolically, McDonagh presents us with a rich text. The progression of guilt to despair to sacrifice and redemption is fleshed out in a sparse hour and four-five minutes, but what hits the hardest is the unshakeable sense of guilt and regret. There are only two real moments of violence in the film. Each time it is not glorified but rather forces the viewer to see the full extent of what happened and what was given up. Unlike too many other films, the violence is sparse but purposeful.
The other theme is the capacity to change versus the unflinchingly rigid principles of Harry. Although the homophobic slurs are a little hard to get through, the “gay beers” jokes has a few different levels to it. First, it’s actually quite a smart joke about the Irish pint versus the Belgian tulip glass and an exposition of the differences in the two characters, but secondly, it also reveals Ray’s own sense of insecurity at first, as well as his own capacity for change later on when he orders a “gay beer” for himself. This underlines Ken’s point that Harry is what Ray could be in the future if he keeps going down his current path, but he is young enough to have the capacity to change and redeem himself.
That’s something that Harry does not believe in at all. We are introduced to Harry step by step, first just by hearing about him and his orders and the anticipation that he might call at any time. Then, we see the message he leaves for them. Then, then the phone call, before we finally see him in person at the very end fo the second act, before heading into the completely unpredictable third act. Harry is a completely principled person and in fact shares the same moral code as Ray, which is why they are able to agree on a course of action later on at the hotel – they both have honor and stand by their word.
One of the enduring mysteries is just why In Bruges is so unknown and underseen. It is inquisitive and reflective while being funny and entertaining almost through its entire runtime that ends in a barnburner of a third act. It is quirky but in the best way, and weighty enough that it will linger in your mind after the credits roll. McDonagh also supplies us with innumerous one-liners and jokes that are delivered by the cast, who are no slouches themselves. The film, like its namesake city, deserves more recognition.
