In Bruges

I saw the trailer for In Bruges when I happened to arrive a bit early for Iron Man and, well, it captured my attention. What’s so special about that? Nothing. But it never happened to me before. I usually watch trailers in the peace of my home, so I know what’s going on (thanks to the guys at MovieZone ;-). Long story short, the movie me even more than the excellent trailer. Two hired killers arrive in a medieval town full of historical monuments for a holiday. And one of them is carrying a memory with him of the last murder, which went wrong in the worst possible way. Collin Farrell and Brendan Gleeson both excel throughout, joined from the second half of the movie by Ralph Fiennes, who I’ve never heard as foulmouthed as he was here. Well I have to take my hat off to the director Martin McDonagh. His debut is already among the best movies produced this year. (2008-06-12)

Melancholic, funny, bloody... It takes quite a bit of talent to give such inter-genre pirouettes a sequence and elegance that doesn't automatically hit the weak spots. True, the film does ruthlessly pick its weaker moments. Especially in those long-winded dialogues about "nothing," which are supposed to be very cool, but paradoxically more so disturb the special mood of the film, which is created by the city and the absolutely fantastic actors. Whether you admit it or not, this Belgian postcard has something to it. (2010-05-11)

If the whole film hadn't been a persistent effort to show "Look how amazingly original and funny dialogues I can write!", I would have rated it more positively, because the melancholic mood that permeates it was very good (for that and for my favourite Brendan Gleeson 3*). Apparently some people are satisfied with the wannabe deep dialogues about the clash of white and black dwarves and don't mind that the main characters behave like idiots, but I am not and so I won't join the crowd of satisfied viewers. The hardly believable conversation after the jump from the tower and the final act of the gangster Waters fall somewhere into the realms of absurd self-parody a la Monty Python (2008-06-12)

In Bruges is a stylish, strongly un-American, irresistibly incorrect, ultra-cheeky gangster flick that amazingly straddles the line between tragic tears and boisterous laughter. No wonder Martin McDonagh is a theater director. His remote Belgian town is just a makeshift backdrop for a well-acted play featuring twisted nut-jobs portrayed by actors who relish their roles, which are not very typical for them. A must-see for the fans of Tarantino, Ritchie and my favorite, Sexy Beast. Were it not for the villain Don Logan, played by the genius Ben Kingsley, Ralph Fiennes would not have played his best character since Amon Goethe. In Bruges has the potential to gain well-deserved and lasting cult status. (2008-05-09)

Over the past 12 months, this was my strongest cinematic experience alongside the animated movie Persepolis, and is all the more pleasant because it was practically unexpected. A great screenplay, interesting casting, excellent performances, and very well-written dialogues, not only for its genre, where several excellent quotes appear that have the chance to gain cult status. It is a film that clearly distinguishes itself from the genre mainstream while still being appealing to the audience. Black humor, several exciting duels, and unexpected twists. This film was much more attractive to me than the much more discussed American Gangster. I have practically no objections to it. Overall impression: 100%. The purely European atmosphere of an ancient city full of monuments, weary tourists, and small-town mentality also plays a role. (2008-06-29)