short film reviews, criticism, and occasional musing.

Monday, February 18, 2008

In Bruges (2008, UK/Belgian)

Anchored by strong performances from three very good actors (my personal distaste for Colin Farrell rebels at this statement, but I can't not admit it - he's good), Martin McDonagh's In Bruges is a darkly funny morality tale that's a little heavy on the plotting. I can't help but feel a little fatigued by the hit man framing, a device that seems dragged out of a dozen Tarantino rip-offs from the late 90's. But McDonagh is wise to forgo the sense of dirty glamour that most of those films purported about gangsterism, and instead sticks his pair of down-and-outs in Bruges, Belgium, to meditate on what they've done. Ray (Farrell) and Ken (Brendan Gleeson) couldn't be an unlikelier couple - Ray is all brash upstart, forever wanting to go down to the pub rather than wait around for a call from their employer (a hilarious and terrifying Ralph Fiennes), while Ken is genuinely moved by the Medieval architecture and dreamlike provincialism of Bruges. But sightseeing gets put on hold fairly quickly, as a mistake Ray made on the job comes back to haunt all three men.

I wasn't expecting much from In Bruges, but ended up finding it funnier - a very dirty brand of funny, but that's the Irish for you - and a bit more thoughtful than the trailers had led me to believe. Still, for a movie that dwells so much on Hell and Purgatory, it feels light, as if McDonagh's real interest was in the character of a lost weekend in Bruges, which may explain why the plot feels forced at times, compromising the strength of the acting and the mood. This is McDonaugh's first film as a director, and I'd be interested to see what he might do with a more stripped-down narrative.

Through most of the second half of the movie, I couldn't help but stare at Ralph Fiennes' face. I wish I could remember where I read someone online opining about how even as Voldemort in the Harry Potter series, Fiennes is still magnetically attractive. That's no mean feat - Voldemort doesn't have a nose. In Bruges is the first time I can remember seeing age on Fiennes - while his face is still generally unlined and that bone structure can't be denied, it's starting to stretch into strange dimensions like some weird plastic, especially when he's shouting obscenities. The beauty returns when his face is at rest - a monster retreating to hide. Whereas Johnny Depp's mind-blowing good looks and eternal youthfulness (I call him Dorian Gray) have served him well as the eternal man-child, Fiennes' handsomeness lends itself to snakiness, to evil. I think I like him best not as the romantic lead (though he's definitely good at that), but as the man you can imagine got away with murder, literally, because of his face (wasn't that half the point of Quiz Show?). He was an inspired choice for Voldemort, and I think I would be happy to continue to watch him playing baddies into ripe old age.

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