In Bruges (2008) - McDonagh's 'hit men in Belgium' idea scores

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Three tough-looking men in dark suits contrastingly placed in picturesque Bruges, Belgium make up this amusing poster for Martin McDonagh's In Bruges

 

Two hit men from London are sent into exile in Bruges, Belgium, following one of them performing the fatal mistake of shooting a child. Their boss' wish to rid himself of the culprit becomes a matter of principle.

In Bruges is written and directed by great English filmmaker, debuting Martin McDonagh (Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri (2017)).

Shot almost entirely in Bruges, the film is very preoccupied with its location, - and the city, it must be admitted, is very beautiful. But it is primarily McDonagh's own, original script and strong characters coupled with enthusiastic performances from Colin Farrell (Miami Vice (2006)), Brendan Gleeson (The Village (2004)) and Ralph Fiennes (No Time to Die (2021)) which make this film funny and estimable.

 

Related posts:

 

Martin McDonagh: 2017 in films - according to Film Excess [UPDATED I]  

Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri (2017) - M. McDonagh surprises with a kicker of an amazing movie 

 

Watch a trailer for the film here

Cost: 15 mil. $

Box office: 34.5 mil. $

= Minor flop (returned 2.3 times its cost)

[In Bruges premiered 17 January (Sundance Film Festival) and runs 107 minutes. Shooting took place from February - March 2007 in Belgium. The film opened #25 to a 459k $ first weekend in 28 theaters in North America, where it peaked at #21 and in 232 theaters, grossing 7.8 mil. $ (22.6 % of the total gross). The 2nd and 3rd biggest markets were the UK with 6 mil. $ (17.4 %) and France with 3.5 mil. $ (10.1 %). The film was nominated for the Best Screenplay Oscar, lost to Dustin Lance Black for Milk. It won 1/4 BAFTA nominations, 1/3 Golden Globe nominations and a National Board of Review award, among many other honors. Roger Ebert gave it a 4/4 star review, translating to 2 notches over this one. The film had video sales of estimated 4.9 mil. $ in North America alone. McDonagh returned with The Beauty Queen of Leenane (2010, TV movie), The Pillowman (2011, short) and theatrically with Seven Psychopaths (2012). Farrell returned in Pride and Glory (2008); Gleeson with a voice performance in The Secret of Kells (2009), Into the Storm (2009, TV movie) and theatrically in Perrier's Bounty (2009); and Fiennes in The Duchess (2008). In Bruges is certified fresh at 85 % with a 7.40/10 critical average at Rotten Tomatoes.]

What do you think of In Bruges?