movie/Dexter

[ellen_datlow]

Tonight I watched In Bruges and was surprised at how good it is. Although Colin Farrell's eyebrows kept reminding of of caterpillars (Eugene Levy anyone?) he, Brendon Gleeson, and Ralph Fiennes (who finally broke out of the effete mold of the last few movies of his I've seen) and came across as a rough tough (albeit) dapper and weird, coldblooded but sentimental crimeboss).

I only realized why it's so good and strange when I saw in the end credits that it was written and directed by the great Irish playwright Martin McDonagh, who wrote The Pillow Man and the Lieutenant of Innishmore, which are quite dark with some black humor thrown in--as is In Bruges.

Basic plot: two Irish hit men are sent to Bruges, Belgium after a cock-up in England. While there they wait for a phone call from their boss. I highly recommend this. Be aware though, it's got quite a bit of violence.

Comments

[ellen-datlow.livejournal.com]

It's very rich in understated emotion. And the "villains" have depth for a change. It took several surprising turns--good writing and direction and acting.

[sunpony.livejournal.com]

It is, which surprised me. I loved the scene where Harry apologized to his wife and really seemed to mean it, and the scene where ray talks about his mistake is quite affecting, even though it could havebecome maudlin or manipulative. I like how they danced around some cliches and brought a solid immediacy to the characters' feelings.

I want to watch it again now that I know the director was a playwright, because I found the closeness of the camera to be compelling, and I wonder if that comes out the way a playwright envisions characters. I wonder if it seems more like a play when looking at it with that in mind, and if that actually adds to our connection with the characters.

[ellen-datlow.livejournal.com]

Yes, those were very good scenes--that rounded out the characters. And you can see that Harry is a total bastard but does indeed have a sense of integrity about him.

[sunpony.livejournal.com]

Exactly. And you find yourself asking a lot of questions about morality and "doing the right thing" throughout, unlike most other gangster movies.