Spiny Norman
02-13-2008, 07:48 PM
Or at least since There Will be Blood.
It's a rare thing to see a movie where plot propels the characters, not the other way around. It's also rare to see a movie that's handled so expertly by someone who's never directed a movie before. It's also rare to laugh and then be genuinely shocked within the space of about five minutes.
I guess what's not that surprising is that the director Martin McDonagh is a celebrated playwright whose plays have been stunning audiences for some time. This is his feature debut, though, and while it's somewhat expected that he'd manage to write such a nuanced script it's astonishing that he's brought it to life so well.
The marketing for this movie is awful. Don't believe the silly ads. It's not Guy Ritchie in the slightest.
The movie fools you into thinking it's just a buddy movie. Two Irish hitmen, Ray and Ken, (Farrell and the never-disappointing Gleeson) foul up a job and are sent into exile by Harry, their distant boss. The two are shacked up in the quaint medieval town of Bruges, to Ken's placid delight and Ray's utter irritation. The history of the place has little effect on Ray, who remarks, "Who cares about history? It's all a load of stuff that's already happened?" Which makes one wonder what's in his history, exactly. The two snipe at each other, fall afoul of husky Americans and irritating Canadians, and get involved in drugs, dwarves, and myths. The humor is crass at times, but the characters are often so strained or so earnest that it never offends - its more like gentle goading than anything. Somehow McDonagh manages to say more about the human condition with one humorous shot of a supremely ugly dog than most filmmakers do with a long speech.
This makes the movie sound simple and absurd, but it isn't.
It quickly becomes obvious that Farrell's character, Ray, is harboring a terrible guilt. In what may be one of the best performances of his career, Farrell can go from an annoying, snarky lout to ADHD, puppy-eyed sweetheart (At one point in time he spots a film being shot in Bruges and squeals with delight, "They're filmin' midgets!"), to a weeping, suicidal mess. And you believe it every step of the way.
Ken is more world-weary, more fatherly, and is aware that Ray's walking a razor's edge. He understand the brutality of his job, but as the years wore on more and more of a sense of morality has emerged in him, and he finds himself steadily more shaken by what he's forced to do.
Exactly what sent the men to Bruges is one of the most horrifying reveals of the movie. You understand Ray's shock and Ken's sympathy, and you feel terrible for both of them.
Bruges slowly evolves to become an absurd, surreal purgatory for both men, two sinners awaiting judgment and trying to force some kind of morality out of their actions. It's fitting that Bosch is referenced so much, as The Garden of Earthly Delights is exactly what Ray finds himself in. When Harry (Fiennes) shows up, everything goes to hell. Harry is more like Don Logan from Sexy Beast than anything else, but he has an almost religious set of principles that he fiercely lives by. As the action picks up, the characters and themes become more apparent, and things begin to spiral towards something toweringly impressive and poignantly ironic. the movie leaves you with a ringing in your ears that you never thought you'd get, not out of something like this.
It's actually sort of irritating that McDonagh can do comedy and tragedy and thriller so well and flip back and forth to all of them in a split second, an on his first outing, no less. One second you're laughing, the next gasping, and the next you almost want to cry. The movie really stays with you, especially some of the lines.
"I'm sorry. I'm sorry I called you an inanimate object."
"You can't go about givin' horse tranquilizers to midgets!"
"There are many lovely HAAAlcoves. Is this the right werd? HAAAlcoves?"
"If I'd grown up on a farm and was retarded, Bruges might impress me, but I didn't, so it doesn't."
"You punched the Canadian? You punched the Canadian."
"I'm sorry I didn't wave to you today, I was on a lot of horse tranquilizers. I didn't really wave to anyone. Except maybe a horse."
"Retract that! Retract that last bit! Do it now!"
"You know, most midgets commit suicide. Did you know that? Well, I mean, it's more, like, prevalent among midgets. Than people. *cough*"
It's a rare thing to see a movie where plot propels the characters, not the other way around. It's also rare to see a movie that's handled so expertly by someone who's never directed a movie before. It's also rare to laugh and then be genuinely shocked within the space of about five minutes.
I guess what's not that surprising is that the director Martin McDonagh is a celebrated playwright whose plays have been stunning audiences for some time. This is his feature debut, though, and while it's somewhat expected that he'd manage to write such a nuanced script it's astonishing that he's brought it to life so well.
The marketing for this movie is awful. Don't believe the silly ads. It's not Guy Ritchie in the slightest.
The movie fools you into thinking it's just a buddy movie. Two Irish hitmen, Ray and Ken, (Farrell and the never-disappointing Gleeson) foul up a job and are sent into exile by Harry, their distant boss. The two are shacked up in the quaint medieval town of Bruges, to Ken's placid delight and Ray's utter irritation. The history of the place has little effect on Ray, who remarks, "Who cares about history? It's all a load of stuff that's already happened?" Which makes one wonder what's in his history, exactly. The two snipe at each other, fall afoul of husky Americans and irritating Canadians, and get involved in drugs, dwarves, and myths. The humor is crass at times, but the characters are often so strained or so earnest that it never offends - its more like gentle goading than anything. Somehow McDonagh manages to say more about the human condition with one humorous shot of a supremely ugly dog than most filmmakers do with a long speech.
This makes the movie sound simple and absurd, but it isn't.
It quickly becomes obvious that Farrell's character, Ray, is harboring a terrible guilt. In what may be one of the best performances of his career, Farrell can go from an annoying, snarky lout to ADHD, puppy-eyed sweetheart (At one point in time he spots a film being shot in Bruges and squeals with delight, "They're filmin' midgets!"), to a weeping, suicidal mess. And you believe it every step of the way.
Ken is more world-weary, more fatherly, and is aware that Ray's walking a razor's edge. He understand the brutality of his job, but as the years wore on more and more of a sense of morality has emerged in him, and he finds himself steadily more shaken by what he's forced to do.
Exactly what sent the men to Bruges is one of the most horrifying reveals of the movie. You understand Ray's shock and Ken's sympathy, and you feel terrible for both of them.
Bruges slowly evolves to become an absurd, surreal purgatory for both men, two sinners awaiting judgment and trying to force some kind of morality out of their actions. It's fitting that Bosch is referenced so much, as The Garden of Earthly Delights is exactly what Ray finds himself in. When Harry (Fiennes) shows up, everything goes to hell. Harry is more like Don Logan from Sexy Beast than anything else, but he has an almost religious set of principles that he fiercely lives by. As the action picks up, the characters and themes become more apparent, and things begin to spiral towards something toweringly impressive and poignantly ironic. the movie leaves you with a ringing in your ears that you never thought you'd get, not out of something like this.
It's actually sort of irritating that McDonagh can do comedy and tragedy and thriller so well and flip back and forth to all of them in a split second, an on his first outing, no less. One second you're laughing, the next gasping, and the next you almost want to cry. The movie really stays with you, especially some of the lines.
"I'm sorry. I'm sorry I called you an inanimate object."
"You can't go about givin' horse tranquilizers to midgets!"
"There are many lovely HAAAlcoves. Is this the right werd? HAAAlcoves?"
"If I'd grown up on a farm and was retarded, Bruges might impress me, but I didn't, so it doesn't."
"You punched the Canadian? You punched the Canadian."
"I'm sorry I didn't wave to you today, I was on a lot of horse tranquilizers. I didn't really wave to anyone. Except maybe a horse."
"Retract that! Retract that last bit! Do it now!"
"You know, most midgets commit suicide. Did you know that? Well, I mean, it's more, like, prevalent among midgets. Than people. *cough*"