There are romantic comedies. There are westerns. There are action flicks. There are period dramas. And then there are hitman comedies. Now, while this new genre amalgamation has only been around for a short time, it has produced some of the most interesting pieces of cinema that I've ever seen. Grosse Point Blank, Mr. & Mrs. Smith, and You Kill Me are three examples that help to illustrate my point. Each of these films features a protagonist (or two) who happens to be a professional killer by trade. And each film shows them dealing with problems related to their line of work (usually with funny and entertaining results). But none of these films show death as anything more than a simple beat in the story. The same cannot be said for In Bruges, and that's a good thing.
In Bruges begins with two hitmen Ray (Collin Farrell) and Ken (Brendan Gleeson) arriving in Bruge, (Which is in Belgium, who knew?) to lay low after a job goes awry. Their boss, Harry (Ralph Fiennes), has told them to see the sights and wait for his phone call. And as they take in the sights, truths about the two of them and what happened on the hit begin to come to light, with both hilarious and devastating consequences.
I went to see this film with my good friend, Cynthia, and when it was over, she brought up something that I failed to notice: The violence in this film, while brutal and gruesome was done with a purpose. That purpose seemed to show you that while the protagonists were likeable and charming fellows, they were still murderers. What they did was reprehensible. And writer/director Martin McDonagh wanted the audience to see that. In this film, killing someone isn't just a segue to another joke. It's murder. It's the purposeful taking of another person's life and it's wrong. He wanted the audience to understand that assassination is not something to be glorified. It's something to look down upon. And he uses this film to show the brutality, the gruesome nature, the hideous gore of death and the affect that it can have on a person (even a person who's a professional killer).
Now, while it addresses the matter of killing in such an unflinching manner, it is also very funny. There were scenes during the film where I couldn't stop laughing. The comedy in this film was brilliant. From the physical comedy to the word-play, McDonagh gives each joke the perfect amount of comedic timing and room to breathe. I was especially impressed with the way that McDonagh managed to weave the moments of hilarity in between the more somber segments in a way that felt natural. Nothing in this film felt forced. The stories and subplots flowed together perfectly.
As important as the script was, the cast was what made the film for me. All three of the lead actors made their characters feel real. They weren't caricatures of hitmen, nor were they one-note thugs. They were all men with emotions, morals (skewed, though they were), phobias and quirks. What's more, they all had such a strong physical acting ability. From their facial expressions to their posture to their body language, they came across as genuine people. The fact that they were so well-developed gave the viewer a reason to care about what happened to them. And that's a compliment to both the writer and the performers.
All in all, this film is a magnificent piece of work and everyone involved should be proud of the work that they did. Not only did they make a hilarious hitman comedy. They also made a modern morality tale. I will definitely be purchasing this film when it's released on DVD. And if it opens in a wider release, I'll definitely see it again.
