The closing film of the Titanic Festival in Budpest, "In Bruges", was another eye-opener. Directed by Martin McDonagh and set almost entirely in the beautiful Belgian canal city of Bruges, this is one where it's hard to tell whether it's a violent comedy, or a spoof on violence, or a comical violence film about two hard-boiled Irish hit men on the lam in Belgium. Our hero, handsome Irish charmer Colin Farrell, sporting a heavy growth of five-o'clock shadow throughout and constantly lamenting the fact that he accidentally killed a little boy, is not above punching out a lady in a restaurant or karate chopping a poor midget who gets on his nerves -other than that he's quite lovable. Ralph Fiennes (the onetime "English Patient"), comes in for possibly the most brutal role he's ever played as the obsessed vengeful father of the departed lad, and Irish actor Brendan Gleeson (a veteran of the Harry Potter films) is also quite charming as the avuncular partner in crime of young Farrell. Guns galore and drugs like cocaine and LSD are taken for granted in this colorful criminal saga, and the city of Bruges itself is shown in its full glory, day and night. The music, incidentally, is extremely subtle with a quiet piano playing soothingly in the background of some of the most violent scenes. Very good music in its own right, and compliments to composer Carter Burwell, who does the music for all Coen Brothers flicks among others. Winding up with a breathtaking chase through the cobblestone streets of Bruges at night and a shootout on the canal, "In Bruges" literally leaves you breathless and needing a drink... and realizing that, whatever it was about, you just had one helluva romp and laughed a lot. The perfect bookend for a modest film festival in a major east-European capital.
Alex Deleon