Tagline: Shoot first. Sightsee later.
Ray and Ken are hit men and their boss send them to Bruges to wait until he is ready for them. But their surrounding is very different for them and they feel out of place. They find their experience surreal and encounter some weird situations and when their boss calls, their vacation becomes a life-and-death struggle.
In 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 (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.
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 Chloe (Clemence Poesy), 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.
In Bruges is a 2008 British-American black comedy crime film written and directed by Martin McDonagh. The film stars Colin Farrell and Brendan Gleeson as two Irish hitmen in hiding, with Ralph Fiennes as their boss. The film is set and was filmed in the Belgian city of Bruges.
In Bruges was the opening night film of the 2008 Sundance Film Festival and opened in limited release in the United States on 8 February 2008. The film garnered a cult status for its dark humour and dialogues. The film earned Farrell the Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy, while Gleeson was nominated for the same. McDonagh won the BAFTA Award for Best Original Screenplay and was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay.
In Bruges was released in limited cinemas on 8 February 2008, and opened in 28 theatres in the United States, grossing $125,541 on its opening day and $459,575 on its opening weekend, ranking No. 25 with a per theatre average of $16,413. On its second weekend, it was released in 112 theatres and moved up to No. 22 and grossed $970,211, with a per theatre average of $8,663. By its third weekend it moved up even more to No. 21 and made $738,318 from 163 theatres it was released, with $4,530 per theatre average It has a current worldwide total lifetime gross of $33,394,440
About the Production
For Academy Award-winning writer / director Martin McDonagh, In Bruges began to take shape in Bruges (pronounced “broozh”) during a weekend in the city. Located in Belgium, about an hour from Brussels, Bruges was an important trading city in the Middle Ages, and became hugely wealthy. Its fortunes waned, but its historic architecture, art, and canals remained; towards the end of the 19th century, it became a popular tourist center.
McDonagh remembers, “While I was first there, about four years ago, I had diverging feelings about the place. I started thinking of two characters who might respond to Bruges in distinct ways, and I started writing about them, with specific parts of Bruges for them to interact in and around.”
Producer Graham Broadbent and Pete Czernin read the script and, remarks Broadbent, “thought the script was an amazing piece of writing; dazzling dialogue with a compelling story and wonderful roles. On visiting Bruges itself, you could see that it would be an additional character in the story; the city has such a heightened atmosphere and it’s so picturesque, whichever way you pointed a camera it was going to look extraordinary.”
Actor Ralph Fiennes comments, “The restlessness of these characters, set against an old, beautiful, well-preserved little European city makes for a perfect counterpoint. Martin has a very particular voice – in his writing, the humor delicately coats his completely rounded characters. As a director, he proved to be smart and generous.”
The production came together quickly; within a year of McDonagh meeting with the producers, the film had found a home at Focus Features and casting was being finalized. Even more fortuitously, what with the “Venice of the North” – as Bruges is known – being conceived as intrinsic to the story and the film, the city welcomed the cast and crew. Broadbent notes, “We asked for, and were given, direct access to many of the specific actual locations that Martin had set his story in. The mayor’s, Tourism, and City Film Offices all made it possible for us to shoot there.”
Actor Brendan Gleeson laughs, “When we arrived here, we met the mayor, and I said, ‘Thanks for lighting our set, Mr. Mayor.’ Because that’s what it’s like there; it’s as if somebody built a magnificent movie set and said, go shoot. It’s so picturesque and stunningly romantic to look at.”
However, McDonagh clarifies, “As the film progresses, Bruges becomes darker and its Gothic qualities come to the fore. The night scenes showcase that even earlier, such as when Ray happens upon the Hieronymus Bosch-inspired movie set.”
Production designer Michael Carlin adds, “The set echoes a Bosch painting that you glimpse elsewhere in the movie – that Ray is seeing.
“Bruges itself is a key character that changes throughout the story. It starts out as fairly benign, then becomes almost as sinister as Harry [Ralph Fiennes’ character] – bearing out Ray’s anxieties.”
Continue Reading and View the Theatrical Trailer
In Bruges (2008)
Directed by: Martin McDonagh
Starring: Colin Farrell, Brendan Gleeson, Clemence Poesy, Ralph Fiennes, Elizabeth Berrington, Anna Madeley, Zeljko Ivanek, Clémence Poésy, Jean-Marc Favorin, Louis Nummy
Screenplay by: Martin McDonagh
Production Design by: Michael Carlin
Cinematography by: Eigil Bryld
Film Editing by: John Gregory
Costume Design by: Jany Temime
Set Decoration by: Anna Lynch-Robinson
Art Direction by: Chris Lowe
Music by: Carter Burwell
MPAA Rating: R for strong bloody violence, pervasive language and some drug use.
Studio: Focus Features
Release Date: February 8, 2008
Visits: 69
