"In Bruges" is a dark comedy about two hitmen stuck hiding out in Bruges, Belgium, after the younger botches his first hit job. I found it an entertaining film, often funny. I do think enjoying this film requires a certain taste and at least some knowledge of European culture (even if it's secondhand). One thing this film is NOT is a goofy action-comedy like Rush Hour. The humor is often very dark, more in the vein of Coen brothers movies like Fargo. The action is not the main focus of the movie. The fun is in watching these characters trying to blend in and stay out of trouble in Bruges. It's a strangely charming movie if you have the right taste. There is some gory violence in this film, so if you have a weak stomach, you probably shouldn't see it. It also seems that it's not for the easily offended--there is some insensitive dialogue, but it serves to further flesh out the characters.

Opening night- packed for playwright Martin McDonaugh?s first film, a terrific [nearly] two hours of film making.......perfect drama. Skillfully,McDonaugh presents the human drama, we resonate to. His theater of the absurd, [a la Becket] enables the audience to withstand the violence - this balance, is true genius. Acting - magnificent, as is directing, editing. ?Bruges? is far, better than There Will Be Blood and No Country For Old Men.In Bruges the human comedy, the human predicament, is all there. Another stroke of McDonaugh genius, is to locate the plot in the historical background of painter, Hieronymus Bosch who, in his inimitable style always fills his works with the frenzied human conditions. Because McDonaugh wants us to have these associations, some of the painter?s works are shown briefly in ?Bruges.? See this film, way before you go to the other 2 American films, which pale in comparison. Irish writers are in a sublime category, all their own.