Director: Martin McDonagh
Writers: Martin McDonagh
Stars: Colin Farrell, Brendan Gleeson, Ralph Fiennes

This review is part of the feature:

The 33 Gangster Films You Can’t Refuse

Two hitmen, a senior (Brendan Gleeson) and his young apprentice (Colin Farrell), are sent to Bruges by their psychopathic boss Harry Waters (Ralph Fiennes) to lay low after a job went wrong.

The older killer Ken enjoys the medieval town with its many sightseeing attractions, while for his younger counterpart Ray, it is nothing short of a nightmare. We slowly learn what went wrong during their last job (Ray’s first) and why Ray feels such overwhelming guilt. Could his stay in Bruges be a metaphor for purgatory? This certainly seems to be the case.

In Bruges is an incredibly funny take on hitmen-genre with undeniably great chemistry between the two leads. Add to that, the fantastic dialogues ánd the hilarious performance by Ralph Fiennes in the final act, and you have a true classic on your hands.

Farrell and Gleeson were successfully reunited by writer-director Martin McDonagh for The Banshees of Inisherin in 2022.