starring Colin Farrell and Brendan Gleeson
In a nutshell: A work of uncompromising creativity from a newcomer who will probably be around for a long time 
Quick synopsis: After a job goes wrong, two hitmen are sent to lay low in Belgium and are told to enjoy the medieval city of Bruges while awaiting further instructions
Content: It took me a long time to finally see In Bruges, one of 2008's buzzworthy under-the-radar films, even though I was sure that I would like it. Turns out it was worth the wait. In Bruges was written and directed by Martin McDonagh, a successful playwright who made his motion picture debut a year or two earlier with the Oscar-nominated short film, Six Shooter. In 'In Bruges' McDonagh once again proves himself to be a worthy writer, while also proving himself to be surprisingly capable behind the camera as well.
Heading into In Bruges, I was expecting something a little different than what I got. I was expecting a flashy, European crime caper along the lines of Snatch or Layer Cake. And although the guns eventually come out (after all, it is about hitmen), it actually a very character driven script. Our two main characters question their calling, the meaning of events that have transpired and even hell and purgatory. The closest thing I can think to compare it to is Grosse Point Blank, except darker and with less overt comedy.
The acting is very good. Brendan Gleeson is his usual solid self and Colin Farrell turns out to be very entertaining when he isn't taking himself too seriously. My favorite, though, was Ralph Fiennes who doesn't show up until towards the end of the film. But he explodes onto the scene and puts on a sociopathic show worthy of Gary Oldman or William Hurt's character in A History of Violence.
The relationship between the two hitmen (Gleeson and Farrell) is where all the meat is. Gleeson appears to be somewhat of a mentor to Farrell from the start, but McDonagh expertly reveals the depth of their relationship gradually throughout the film until he is forced to make the ultimate decision. Farrell acts tough, taking every chance he gets to put down both the city of Bruges and the tourists that populate it. But in moments of weakness, usually facilitated by substances, he reveals a soul tortured by a single tragic event that is causing him to question everything. His character has serious depth to him. His fascination with midgets could have come across SO badly with even the slightest misstep, but as it is, it just seems like some bizarre yet realistic quirk.
Some people I've spoken to don't like the ending of In Bruges, but I will defend it. The last 15 minutes are dramatically different than the rest of the movie and that really bothered some people. But I simply viewed as a release of all the pressure that had been building up during the first 2 hours. It was necessary. I even like the somewhat vague ending narrated by a character as if he is watching his own possible demise play out from a third person point of view.
The greatest advantage that In Bruges has over other recent crime movie that are trying to come from a similar place (see: Lucky Number Slevin, etc.) is that Martin McDonagh is a writer first and foremost. And it really pays off. In many other movies, we aren't paying that close of attention to the script the first time through because of the eye candy, and when we do pay more attention the second time through, we realize that script was actually simpler than we believed and that we have nothing more to gain from it. But with In Bruges, I am actually excited to rewatch the film and pay closer attention to the meaty script. There's no doubt that I will learn more about these two complex characters by doing so.
I hope In Bruges leads to bigger things for Martin McDonagh. 10 years from now, we could easily be calling In Bruges his Reservoir Dogs.
Rolling rankings:
1. Punch-Drunk Love (#147)
2. In Bruges(#153)
3. Star Trek (#146)
4. Up (#149)
5. I.O.U.S.A. (#150)
6. Role Models (#144)
7. Burn After Reading (#152)
8. The Da Vinci Code (#151) 
9. Star Trek: Generations (#148)
10. Bottle Shock (#145)
key:
masterpiece excellent good mixed bag more bad than good garbage
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