criterionforum.org

Here's my pick for best yet-to-be-made film of 2007. I'm a big fan of McDonagh's plays and that cast is unbelievable. (This is an abridged Focus Features press release, by the way).

NEW YORK, January 9, 2007 – With casting for the principal roles in Academy Award-winning writer/director Martin McDonagh's suspense thriller In Bruges confirmed, the project is gearing up for a February start date and shoot on location in Bruges, Belgium. Focus Features holds worldwide rights to the film and is financing production with Film4. Focus CEO James Schamus made the announcement today.

Part of Focus' expanded international film production slate, In Bruges will topline actors Colin Farrell (most recently seen starring in Miami Vice) and Brendan Gleeson (The General and the Harry Potter movies). Rounding out the cast are European rising stars Clémence Poésy (Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire) and Jérémie Renier (the male lead in the 2005 Cannes International Film Festival Palme d'Or winner L'Enfant [The Child]). In addition, two-time Academy Award nominee Ralph Fiennes (who starred for Focus in The Constant Gardener) will play a key supporting role.

In Bruges is the darkly comedic tale of the fates of hit men Ray and Ken (to be played by Mr. Farrell and Mr. Gleeson, respectively). After a difficult job in London, the team is ordered by their boss Harry (Mr. Fiennes) to cool their heels in Bruges. Very much out of their comfort zones, the men find themselves drawn into increasingly dangerous entanglements with locals, tourists, and a film shoot. Soon, their perspectives on life and death are violently skewed.

Ms. Poésy is cast as Chloë, a woman working on the movie who catches Ray's eye, to the displeasure of her ex-boyfriend Erik (Mr. Renier).

Mr. McDonagh is making his highly anticipated feature directorial debut on In Bruges, from his original screenplay. He previously wrote and directed the Film4-backed Six Shooter, which earned him last year's Academy Award for Best Live-Action Short Film, and which also starred Mr. Gleeson.

The filmmaker is a two-time Olivier Award winner and a four-time Tony Award nominee. His plays include The Beauty Queen of Leenane, The Cripple of Inishmaan, The Lonesome West, The Pillowman, and The Lieutenant of Inishmore.

Mr. Schamus said, “Martin has written a screenplay that is both killingly funny and dramatically affecting, and this fine troupe of actors from all over the world will interact marvelously under his direction. We're also very grateful for the extensive cooperation and support that Bruges is offering the production.â€

A lot of buzz about this production over here too...

This is the opening night film for the Sundance Film Festival?

Ugh... I saw the preview for this before I'm Not There. I had my hopes up for a second it was a preview for Cassandra's Dream... and wow, I was wrong. This movie looks utterly terrible.. I know Martin McDonagh has his fans, and maybe he's a great playwright, but "Shoot first, Sightsee later"? Really?

Cold Bishop wrote:"Shoot first, Sightsee later"? Really?

Aw, don't pin a shitty tagline and twitchy trailer on McDonagh. But if you're not in hysterics from the "You fucking retract that bit about my cunt fucking kids!" "I retract that bit about your cunt fucking kids," exchange, then McDonagh is not for you (and even in my own household, the opinion on McDonagh is split).

This is probably the forthcoming film I'm most anticipating, and it's wonderful to hear McDonagh's language spoken with real Irish accents. I recently saw one of his plays produced locally, and it's no fun to hear "arse" and "whinging" spoken repeatedly with a broad midwestern accent.

what's with The Pixies making it into a whole slew of trailers as of late?

I saw this trailer with "No Country for Old Men" and all the language was cut out, so there wasn't much of a trailer. I'll be honest, after seeing that trailer you posted I am actually looking forward to it, especially after the "cunt fucking kids" bit. That might just be me, though.

And you can't blame the tagline on the director. That rings of a marketing team that has no idea what they're doing.

Clip

The director of Tourism Flanders-Brussels approves.

This is my favorite film of the year thus far (not that there's any competition-- or should I count 4 Months, 3 Weeks, and 2 Days?).

Saw this last night and was very impressed. Back and forth a great movie, no weak link in the bunch.

If you're talking about '07, the best films were Silent Light and Paranoid Park. '08 (so far): Christmas Tale, Soi Cowboy + Ponyo, probably (can't wait...)

I for one, would like to hide out in Bruges!! What an enchanting town. I very begrudgingly saw this the other day, and was absolutely blown away. The trailer was pretty awful, and I expected it to be a European Smoking Aces type-situation. Not only did it have a fantastic, searingly funny script (honestly one of the best in recent memory), PERFECT casting, and excellent action but it also had very beautiful, poignant moments dealing with loyalty, friendship and guilt.
What a fresh, funny, well-crafted and engaging film!
I can't recommend it enough.

And the hilarious mental image of a midget race war will stick with you for years to come.

Weird, I just assumed because of the trailer that this movie totally sucked and ignored everything else about it. Now I'll have to go rent it.

davebert wrote:Weird, I just assumed because of the trailer that this movie totally sucked and ignored everything else about it. Now I'll have to go rent it.

You'll be pleasantly suprised.

It was advertised to the crowd that enjoys movies like Smoking Aces and The Transporter, but it unfolds like a poignant film from a playwright who couldn't get away with the setting and the level of violence on a stage, so he made a movie. Really fantastic stuff, McDonagh is a rare talent.

While many have lauded this film as one of the best so far of 2008, I can say i am not one of them. I found the movie to be overly slow in places and the relationships between the characters completely undeveloped. This may be a great piece of stage craft but it does not make for even a good movie. From the beginning it is apparent that this is the work of a first time director because he has no real vision or understanding of how to direct his actors, except for Ralph Fiennes.
Colin Farrell's performance is his typical dark, moody, smug bastard persona with a hint of comedy that falls flat in this film. However, the ten minutes or so that Ralph Fiennes is onscreen are the best of the film. It is fun to watch him play an arrogant and insecure low level gangster with a heart. As he delivers each of his lines, he seems to be relishing the fact that he is able to play a villian with real form unlike his present stint of playing Voldemort.
The cinematography is impressive as well but even this cannot save this clunky film which is advertised as a black comedy and in my opinion is nothing more than an overblown philosophical treatise on gangsters, duty, and the need to reclaim childhood innocence.

Farrell is amazing in this role. He seems legitimately tortured by his recent past, and is genuinely skilled at delivering the quick-witted dialogue of the script. And Gleeson is fantastic in essentially everything he's ever been in - he adds a lot of depth and moral quandary to what could have been a boring character.

filmnoir1 wrote: he has no real vision or understanding of how to direct his actors, except for Ralph Fiennes.
Colin Farrell's performance is his typical dark, moody, smug bastard persona with a hint of comedy that falls flat in this film.

Really? Gleeson's performance was so effortlessly natural! What exactly fell flat there in your opinion? As for Farrell, I think his talents as an actor are a still a bit rough but I was very impressed by his work here. He's good at playing himself, but when he had to delve deeper than that, like when he broke down crying, he gave a very genuine, stricken performance.

filmnoir1 wrote: ... and the need to reclaim childhood innocence.

what?? explain

EDIT: mfunk, youre too quick

filmnoir1 wrote:Colin Farrell's performance is his typical dark, moody, smug bastard persona with a hint of comedy

Farrell's performance was actually wide-eyed and childlike. Hardly smug, he's genuinely surprised when, for example, the fat family reacts with rage at his sincere comments. The character's a bit whiny, but hardly moody. Sounds like you came in with a bias against the man.

Ralph Fiennes' performance reminded me of Ben Kingsley in Sexy Beast (the incessant, menacing refusal to understand the most casual off-hand remark), except a surprising humanity shoots through at unexpected moments.

I thought Ralph was brilliant, when we first see him in the office smashing his phone. Probably one of the more complex performances I've seen in a long time.

Feel free to debate upon this, but I think that the moral of it is that...

Spoiler

honor among thieves is a two-edged sword that stabs Ralph's character in the end. Had he known that he killed a coked-up midget rather than an actual child, that gun would have been nowhere near his mouth.

Spoiler

That "twist" at the end came off as really contrived to me, and I could see it coming a mile off.

Still excited to re-watch this soon, though.

Only just caught this on rental and I thought it was an enjoyable piece of film thanks to the performances. I didn’t think the direction was anything special and it did feel like a stage play with some landscape inserts at times. I don’t want to be overly critical because I enjoyed the film but it felt very much a lite version of Mikey And Nicky.

Got around to seeing this and was really impressed. It's one of the better first films I've seen. I think Ebert's comparison to Mamet's House of Games is a very apt one, especially in terms of writing and directing.

I don't know. Maybe I'm really slow or something, but I did not see the ending coming.