Official Movie Website Theatrical Release 02/08/08 (Limited) 02/15/08 Home Video 06/24/08 MPAA Rating Rated R for strong bloody violence, pervasive language and some drug use Running Time 1 hour 47 minutes Genre Crime, Comedy Director Martin McDonagh Writer Martin McDonagh Cast Colin Farrell, Brendan Gleeson, Ralph Fiennes, Clemence Poesy, Jordan Prentice, Jérémie Rénier Studio Focus Features |
IN BRUGES (2008)
SYNOPSIS
Mr. McDonagh makes his feature directorial debut
on the film, from his own original screenplay. His
plays (which include The Lieutenant of Inishmore
and The Pillowman) have brought him two Olivier
Awards and four Tony Award nominations. He wrote
and directed Six Shooter, starring Brendan Gleeson,
which earned him the 2006 Academy Award for Best
Live-Action Short Film.
IN BRUGES was filmed on location; Bruges
(pronounced “broozh”), the most well-preserved
medieval city in the whole of Belgium, is a
welcoming destination for travellers from all over
the world. But for hit men Ray (Colin Farrell) and Ken
(Brendan Gleeson), it could be their final destination;
a difficult job has resulted in the pair being ordered
right before Christmas by their London boss Harry
(two-time Academy Award nominee Ralph Fiennes)
to go and cool their heels in the storybook Flemish
city for a couple of weeks.
Very much out of place amidst the gothic
architecture, canals, and cobbled streets, the two
hit men fill their days living the lives of tourists. Ray,
still haunted by the bloodshed in London, hates the
place, while Ken, even as he keeps a fatherly eye on
Ray’s often profanely funny exploits, finds his mind
and soul being expanded by the beauty and serenity
of the city.
Mr. McDonagh makes his feature directorial debut
on the film, from his own original screenplay. His
plays (which include The Lieutenant of Inishmore
and The Pillowman) have brought him two Olivier
Awards and four Tony Award nominations. He wrote
and directed Six Shooter, starring Brendan Gleeson,
which earned him the 2006 Academy Award for Best
Live-Action Short Film.
IN BRUGES was filmed on location; Bruges
(pronounced “broozh”), the most well-preserved
medieval city in the whole of Belgium, is a
welcoming destination for travellers from all over
the world. But for hit men Ray (Colin Farrell) and Ken
(Brendan Gleeson), it could be their final destination;
a difficult job has resulted in the pair being ordered
right before Christmas by their London boss Harry
(two-time Academy Award nominee Ralph Fiennes)
to go and cool their heels in the storybook Flemish
city for a couple of weeks.
Very much out of place amidst the gothic
architecture, canals, and cobbled streets, the two
hit men fill their days living the lives of tourists. Ray,
still haunted by the bloodshed in London, hates the
place, while Ken, even as he keeps a fatherly eye on
Ray’s often profanely funny exploits, finds his mind
and soul being expanded by the beauty and serenity
of the city.
© 2003 St. Louis Movie Review Weekly. All rights reserved, except where indicated.
All movie titles, pictures, etc...are the property of their respective studios.
All movie titles, pictures, etc...are the property of their respective studios.
| ST. LOUIS MOVIE REVIEW WEEKLY |
But the longer they stay waiting for Harry’s call, the more surreal their experience becomes, as they find
themselves in weird encounters with locals, tourists, violent medieval art, a dwarf American actor (Jordan
Prentice) shooting a European art film, Dutch prostitutes, and a potential romance for Ray in the form of
Chloë (Clémence Poésy), who may have some dark secrets of her own.
And when the call from Harry does finally come, Ken and Ray’s vacation becomes a life-and-death
struggle of darkly comic proportions and surprisingly emotional consequences.
-- ©Focus Features
themselves in weird encounters with locals, tourists, violent medieval art, a dwarf American actor (Jordan
Prentice) shooting a European art film, Dutch prostitutes, and a potential romance for Ray in the form of
Chloë (Clémence Poésy), who may have some dark secrets of her own.
And when the call from Harry does finally come, Ken and Ray’s vacation becomes a life-and-death
struggle of darkly comic proportions and surprisingly emotional consequences.
-- ©Focus Features