After a messy murder-for-hire, Irish hitmen Ken and Ray are sent by their boss to Bruges, Belgium, to lay low. Cheerful Ken (Brendan Gleeson) wants to make the most of the forced holiday in the quaint Medieval city, while grumpy Ray (Colin Farrell) is itching to return to London, even though he's haunted by the recent episode that compelled them to flee. As "keeping a low profile" is not exactly in Ray's nature, practically every encounter that he has with both locals and tourists turns violent, sometimes to hilarious effect, and sometimes not so...

Oscar winning Anglo-Irish playwright Martin McDonagh (who picked up a gong for his 2006 short film Six Shooter) wrote and directed this punchy serio-comedy, and his first crack at a feature film is an instant classic of character, storytelling and witty dialogue. At times raucously funny, and at other times unspeakably violent and chilling, McDonagh's control of his ever shifting tone is remarkable. Despite its graphic violence, In Bruges remains a hilarious comedy with poignant moments, while never tipping over into maudlin territory.

The cast features the cream of British talent. Gleeson's brotherly approach with his tantrum-prone colleague makes him one of the sweetest killers around. Giving a fantastic and layered performance, Farrell ekes out the maximum humour from every line reading. Witness the musical incredulity in the simple exclamation, "In Bruges?!!?!" or the way that he invests so much comedy into the word "bottle"! As the duo's psychotic boss, Ralph Fiennes is even more terrifying than he is as the murderous villain Voldemort in the Harry Potter movies. In Bruges is funny, dark and grim all at once, and only improves with repeated viewings.

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