It really upsets me that the American cinema-goer has historically viewed Colin Farrell as a sex symbol and not the vicious acting machine that he needs to be recognized as. If you watch any Hollywood blockbuster made in American film starring Colin Farrell, he always plays the macho man that can get any woman he wants while blowing stuff up and killing people. But, if you any independent film, specifically shot outside of the U.S. then it is a whole different story, Colin Farrell absolutely crushes any independent film that he acts in. He is unrecognizable. In Bruges, is an excellent example of how he can elevate a great script into a cult-classic. This film is a dark comedy that explores the issue of moral suicide, which is an oxymoron if I had ever heard one and that is why you should watch it because that is one interesting topic all by itself.
The logline states:

“After a job goes wrong in London, two hitmen are ordered to lay low at a bed-and-breakfast in Bruges, Belgium until their boss contacts them.”

This film is so funny that it will make you fall off your couch and crawl to the bathroom to pop a Pepto Bismal because your stomach will hurt so bad from laughing. It is so well written that the Irish dialogue and humor can transcend into all cultures, partly because of the comedic duo of Colin Farrell and Brendan Gleeson. Oh and yes, Jordan Prentice also stars as a drug-addicted dwarf (or little person) actor in the film. How do you get much better than that?

The central conflict of the film is that Colin Farrell’s character, Ray, while being sent to kill a priest, also ends up accidentally killing a little boy in a church. This lead’s to Ray’s constant mood swings, panicky tendencies, negative attitude, and suicidal thoughts. Ray is so up and down about being suicidal during the film that it leads to him doing irrational things in the beautiful city of Bruges. When Ray’s boss, Harry, played by Ralph Fiennes, gets word of this, he states that if you kill a child on accident that you should kill yourself immediately on principle.

Side note: Ralph Fiennes steals the show towards the end of the film because he carries you to its absolute terrific ending.
If you killed a child on accident, would you run away to Bruges? Or would you kill yourself based on principle? Well, I am pretty sure you would do the right thing and turn yourself in. But, you are not a hit man, and that is why Ray’s situation is unique, creating a huge dilemma for him. That is why it is so interesting to see how Ray decides to cope with this problem in his life.

How would you deal with the problem of moral suicide if it were to land in your lap? I don’t know how I would deal with it. That is why I watch movies so I can live vicariously through people like Ray instead of dealing with that sort of harsh reality.

This film is a real gem and is one of the best dark comedies that I have seen in a long time. If there is one thing I can teach you about dark comedies is that they only work if there is dark subject matter like moral suicide and the characters make light of the situation by dealing with it in their own quirky way. Seriously, though, this dark comedy doesn’t even seem mysterious because of the comedic duo of Brendan Gleeson, and Colin Farrell is extraordinarily likable and grow on you more and more throughout the film.

Remember,

“The Zos Knows”

-David Zosel 

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