Now here’s a movie. In Bruges came out in 2008 and not a lot of people saw it then, and it’s surprising how few have seen it now. It’s one of those movies that people are surprised by, no matter what they’ve heard about it. It’s just kind of surprisingly really good.
Why would it be good to watch on St. Patrick’s Day? Mainly, its main players, Colin Farrell and Brendan Gleeson, two Irish hitmen who are sent to Bruges, Belgium to await their next assignment. Gleeson is sort of synonymous with “great Irish actor”; I think he’s in like 4 movies in this list in fact. And then Colin Farrell puts in a beautiful performance as the team member racked with Irish Catholic guilt and trying to get on with his work while processing this horrible thing he did. That alone is fairly compelling.
Their dynamic is hilarious, two very different characters with differing takes on the city they’re in. But then it goes dark, and gets crazy, and takes on a whole new energy that you didn’t expect, and leads down a series of developments toward a conclusion that’s a little bit insane, and suddenly you’re like oh, I see what all the fuss is about. Any excuse to see and recommend this movie is worth it, and St. Patrick’s Day is as good an occasion as any. It has Brendan Gleeson!
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