In Bruges (2008)
In Bruges greets us with pensive piano music set against somber imagery of the apparent purgatory our protagonists find themselves in. Each serving a different sentence, the two make for a compelling duo.
Ray, played by Colin Farrell, is juvenile, rude, and always hilarious. Ken, played by Brendan Gleeson, acts as both chaperone and excited tourist. Both characters are hitmen who find themselves in hiding. Ken is the more weathered of the two, with Ray having carried out only one job before arriving in Bruges.
The film captures the dreariness of the city without creating a boring or suffocating atmosphere. Of particular aid is the fascinating visual profile Bruges offers, with its old architecture, ornate trappings, and, as the Belgian gun runner puts it, "a lot of alcoves." But none of this resonates with Ray; on the contrary, it is perfectly tailored to elicit nothing from him but boredom and contempt.
Ray immediately makes his dissatisfaction known, declaring, "If I had grown up on a farm and was retarded, maybe Bruges would impress me." Ken, however, finds the history and culture offered by the city to be enthralling. Religious iconography and depictions of the end times are featured in their tour of Bruges, prompting questions amongst the pair about damnation, apocalypse, and judgment.
The reason for their visit to Bruges becomes clear: Ray's first job was botched, resulting in the death of a child, and they were forced to abscond immediately. The consequences of his actions, eternal and otherwise, are at the forefront of Ray's guilt-ridden mind.
Despite the heaviness of Ray's circumstances, the comedic counterweight is rather massive. At one point, Ray warns some large Americans about climbing a nearby tower; Ray grows exasperated and calls them "a bunch of fucking elephants". This results in a scuffle just as Ken appears and, unknowingly, gently repeats Ray's warning about the tower, whereupon one of the Americans explodes, "Screw you motherfucker!"
Later, while on cocaine, Ray argues with a bigoted dwarf about an impending race war, asking which side various groups of people would fight for, much to the dwarf’s frustration. It seems that, according to the dwarf, any non-white group will be siding with "the blacks". Realizing this, Ray declares, "I'm definitely fighting with the blacks if they've got the Vietnamese."
As they while away their time, the reason for their visit to Bruges becomes even clearer: Ken is phoned by their boss, Harry, played by Ralph Fiennes. Harry tells Ken that, because Ray killed a child, Ray must now also be killed; he speaks of this as an unyielding rule. Bruges was intended as a fond farewell.
When Ken ultimately refuses, all characters converge on Bruges. A failed sacrifice by Ken leaves an unarmed Ray running from an enraged Harry. Ray is wounded but there is collateral damage: the racist dwarf is struck and killed, with his clothes making him resemble a child. Upon seeing this, Harry turns the gun on himself, insisting, "You've got to stick to your principles."
Bruges is depicted as downright purgatorical, but Ray speculates it may actually be Hell. From that standpoint, the film can be seen as chronicling Ray's damnation in the face of his sins. But other characters are held to account with more certainty than Ray, leaving us questioning his ultimate fate.
Completely inappropriate and hilarious, and all while examining the terminal points of our sins, In Bruges is a bardo of bidden time that the viewer will find well-spent.