In Bruges

Melancholic, funny, bloody... It takes quite a bit of talent to give such inter-genre pirouettes a sequence and elegance that doesn't automatically hit the weak spots. True, the film does ruthlessly pick its weaker moments. Especially in those long-winded dialogues about "nothing," which are supposed to be very cool, but paradoxically more so disturb the special mood of the film, which is created by the city and the absolutely fantastic actors. Whether you admit it or not, this Belgian postcard has something to it. (11.05.2010)

If the whole film hadn't been a persistent effort to show "Look how amazingly original and funny dialogues I can write!", I would have rated it more positively, because the melancholic mood that permeates it was very good (for that and for my favourite Brendan Gleeson 3*). Apparently some people are satisfied with the wannabe deep dialogues about the clash of white and black dwarves and don't mind that the main characters behave like idiots, but I am not and so I won't join the crowd of satisfied viewers. The hardly believable conversation after the jump from the tower and the final act of the gangster Waters fall somewhere into the realms of absurd self-parody a la Monty Python (12.06.2008)

For some heaven, for others hell, purgatory for all. An intimate existential gangster film about guilt, forgiveness and rectification, which evolves in a riveting way from a romantic tourist tour of Flemish beauties to a distorted Bosch canvas. Brendan Gleeson's heavy-duty fatherly performance, Colin Farrel's affectively childish creation, and the old-fashioned principle embodied by Ralph Fiennes – and the carefully constructed theatrical dialogues around them, a fantastically embodied image and an intense atmosphere that is closely related to the way filmmakers use Flemish Gothic. McDonagh shows off his dramatic talent (in places, it's more of a theatrical play in a riveting film version), but at the same time he doesn't hold back the magic of cinematic speech (brilliant work with narrative dynamics). As a result, modest In Bruges grows into a complex cinematic metaphor, the Bosch punchline of which is as beautiful as it is chilling. Names like Ritchie and Tarantino may be heard here, but that doesn't change the fact that McDonagh is unpretentious and thoughtfully his own. P.S. I don't know why, but somehow I've got a desire for this guy to make a Bond movie... perhaps with Colin. (10.11.2010)

In Bruges is a stylish, strongly un-American, irresistibly incorrect, ultra-cheeky gangster flick that amazingly straddles the line between tragic tears and boisterous laughter. No wonder Martin McDonagh is a theater director. His remote Belgian town is just a makeshift backdrop for a well-acted play featuring twisted nut-jobs portrayed by actors who relish their roles, which are not very typical for them. A must-see for the fans of Tarantino, Ritchie and my favorite, Sexy Beast. Were it not for the villain Don Logan, played by the genius Ben Kingsley, Ralph Fiennes would not have played his best character since Amon Goethe. In Bruges has the potential to gain well-deserved and lasting cult status. (09.05.2008)

A flawlessly balanced blend of tragic drama and smart comedy. A film with a (literal) fairytale atmosphere so intense that it fully engulfs you. It’s a little unrealistic – in fact, you aren’t supposed to root for any of the characters, and yet, they are all quite likeable – but all the more charming for that. I was fancying something exactly like this and this film really hit the spot. Which is good, any other day I probably would not give it a full rating, and that would be a shame. (01.08.2008)