In Bruges (I know, Germans...) WITH SPOILERS

Finally saw it last night. Honestly, I've been putting it off because I saw the previews and it was pitched as sort of a zany crime caper, and I tend to think those movies are fun for 30 minutes, and then I run out of popcorn.

So I wasn't just pleasantly surprised, I was compeltely blown away that although it is technically a comedy, In Bruges is a pretty dark movie with some terrific characters and great dramatic moments. It's a study in both the possibility of redemption and the difficulty of living by a moral code. And in the end, it is a movie about hope or the lack thereof, depending on the character).

I really enjoyed it. i can see now why its showing up on year end lists.


SPOILERS
















OK, the ending is almost a blatant rip off of Drugstore Cowboy. Even down to the point of view shot in the ambulance. I don't think that detracts from the movie, particularly the added element of the complete ambiguity over whether he lives or dies. I'd like to think he lives, though I know that is grossly unlikely. the scene is important because he HOPES he will live. So whether he lives or dies is irrelevent in the end, it is the fact he put away the suicidal tendencies and accepted what he has done. And he finally has hope. A pretty powerful scene. And not one I was expecting when I sat down to wtach what I thought would be a zany comedy.