Hammerman Ikon

Hammerman Ikon Film Guide

In Bruges
2008

Director: Martin McDonagh
Cast: Colin Farrell, Brendan Gleeson, Ralph Fiennes, Clemence Poesy, Jordan Prentice, Thekla Reuten, Jérémie Renier, Anna Madeley

After a botched job, two Irish hitmen are sent to Bruges in Belgium to lay low and wait for further instructions. Martin McDonagh's feature debut is a dark comedy, which is loved by many, but not me. I don't find the story or characters funny or believable for one moment. The older hitman is so warm and cuddly that I don't believe he could hurt a fly, and the younger one is an unpleasant and obnoxious hothead, which obviously makes him irresistible to a local girl. Once their boss, Ralph Fiennes giving his worst impression of cockney gangster clichés, arrives at the scene, the movie becomes laugh-out-loud stupid.