In Bruges (2008)

Guilt-stricken after a job gone wrong, hitman Ray and his partner await orders from their ruthless boss in Bruges, Belgium, the last place in the world Ray wants to be.

Director:

Martin McDonagh

Writer:

Martin McDonagh

Stars:

Colin Farrell, Brendan Gleeson, Ciarán Hinds

Nominated for 1 Oscar. Another 22 wins & 51 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Elizabeth Berrington	...	Natalie
Rudy Blomme	...	Ticket Seller
Olivier Bonjour	...	Film Director
Mark Donovan	...	Overweight Man
Ann Elsley	...	Overweight Woman #2
Colin Farrell	...	Ray
Jean-Marc Favorin	...	Policeman (as Jean Mark Favorin)
Ralph Fiennes	...	Harry
Brendan Gleeson	...	Ken
Eric Godon	...	Yuri
Zeljko Ivanek	...	Canadian Guy
Sachi Kimura	...	Imamoto
Anna Madeley	...	Denise
Louis Nummy	...	Harry's child #3
Clémence Poésy	...	Chloe

Storyline

London based hit men Ray and Ken are told by their boss Harry Waters to lie low in Bruges, Belgium for up to two weeks following their latest hit, which resulted in the death of an innocent bystander. Harry will be in touch with further instructions. While they wait for Harry's call, Ken, following Harry's advice, takes in the sights of the medieval city with great appreciation. But the charms of Bruges are lost on the simpler Ray, who is already despondent over the innocent death, especially as it was his first job. Things change for Ray when he meets Chloe, part of a film crew shooting a movie starring an American dwarf named Jimmy. When Harry's instructions arrive, Ken, for whom the job is directed, isn't sure if he can carry out the new job, especially as he has gained a new appreciation of life from his stay in the fairytale Bruges. While Ken waits for the inevitable arrival into Bruges of an angry Harry, who feels he must clean up matters on his own, Ray is dealing with his own ...

---

Plot Keywords:

bruges | irish | dwarf | hope | dumdum bullet | 

---

Taglines:

Shoot first. Sightsee later.

---

Genres:

Comedy | Crime | Drama | Thriller

---

Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for strong bloody violence, pervasive language and some drug use

Details

Official Sites:

Focus Features [United States] Official Facebook

Country:

UK USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

29 February 2008 (USA)

Also Known As:

Escondidos en Brujas

Filming Locations:

Gruuthuse Museum, Bruges, West-Vlaanderen, Belgium

Box Office

Budget:

$15,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

$457,227 (USA) (8 February 2008)

Gross:

$7,757,130 (USA) (13 June 2008)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Blueprint Pictures, Focus Features, Scion Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

107 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital DTS

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

It took two hours to film the brief, uncredited cameo of Ciarán Hinds.

---

Goofs

The Belfry in Bruges is 272 feet tall. The shot from his first ascent appears to be from under 100 feet as you would not be able to see the square as clearly from the top of the actual tower.

---

Quotes

[first lines]
Ray: After I killed them, I dropped the gun in the Thames, washed the residue off me hands in the bathroom of a Burger King, and walked home to await instructions. Shortly thereafter the instructions came through. "Get the fuck out of London, youse dumb fucks. Get to Bruges." I didn't even know where Bruges fucking was.
[pause]
Ray: It's in Belgium.

---

Crazy Credits

In the on-screen credits, Kathy Heaser is listed twice as Graphic Designer.

---

Connections

Referenced in Calvary (2014)

---

Soundtracks

Brandy Alexander
Written by Hamilton Leithauser (as Leithauser) / Walter Martin (as Martin) / Matt Barrick (as Barrick) / Paul Maroon (as Maroon) / Peter Bauer (as Bauer)
Performed by The Walkmen
Courtesy of Warner Music UK Ltd

User Reviews

Fantastic mix of humour and brutality!

Well, to be honest I wasn't sure what to expect from this film, nor am I fan of Colin Farrell, in fact I really didn't like him at all previously....but now I have a new found respect for him and with Gleason and Fienes both in excellent form coupled with a very quick and witty script and some surprisingly violent scenes, this film really has something for everyone (except the young kids).

I go to see 2 or 3 movies every week and this is just about the best one I've seen since Last King of Scotland and The Departed came out a couple of years back.

10/10