There’s very little setup for In Bruges. The film throws you right into the story. Hitmen Ray and his senior partner Ken are sent off by their boss, Harry, to Bruges, Belgium to await further orders. It is only later where the full reason why they were sent away is revealed: while on a job, Ray was to kill a priest. But he botches the job, and in the process of killing the priest, a young boy is also killed.
These are just a couple of the quirky characters Ray meets along the journey of this film.
As a born-and-raised and practicing Catholic, I was very much struck by the overt Catholicism of this film. Despite the fact that two of the main characters are killers, they have certain levels of principles that they feel compelled to live up to. Their boss, Harry, also has principles that he feels need to be abided by. Ray’s unending guilt about the death of a child at his hands, is a central focal point of the film. He frequently discusses his guilt and accepting the responsibility and punishment for his actions. His boss, Harry, wants Ken to rectify it by killing Ray. He tells Ken that if it had been him, he’d have immediately turned the gun on himself. Ken doesn’t see how this would solve anything and isn’t ready to take these steps.
What’s interesting though is that the act of killing itself is never discussed. It’s only the accidental killing of the child that leads to the events and discussions that occur in the film. (There is a deleted scene where Ray and Ken discuss why Harry wanted the priest dead in the first place.)
This is a black comedy very much in the vein of Fargo. It’s bloody. It’s dark. It’s brooding. Martin McDonagh directs with clarity and intensity and knows how to get the most out of stars Brendan Gleeson, Colin Ferrell and Ralph Finnes.
In Bruges is at times hilarious, and at others thought provoking, and even heartbreaking at times.