In Bruges - 4 stars out of 10

In Bruges - 4 stars out of 10

“In Bruges” is crass, gory, but surprisingly entertaining.  I’m pretty sure that the opening dialogue of the film contains more swear words than non-swear words but something in me decided to give it a chance.  The synopsis led me to believe that this was an action film and my false expectation could be the source of my disappointment.  Black comedies are not really my thing and I probably would have passed on this one had I done my research.  Viewing it as a serious film, the language and graphic violence are completely over the top and often unnecessary, but this film is anything but serious.  Even though I approached the film from the wrong perspective, I can still accurately comment on the acting.  Colin Farrell and Brendan Gleason have great chemistry and deliver the script well, but Clémence Poésy kind of killed the momentum of the film.  Her character (and her performance) were bland, disinteresting, and distracted from the good performances of the other actors.  As far as its Oscar-nominated screenplay, it is difficult to discern where the nomination came from.  The story and twists were clever but the dialogue itself was rather trite.  It wasn’t a bad script, but certainly not deserving of an Oscar nomination.  I don’t recommend this film if you are not a fan of black comedies but, if it is your cup of tea, perhaps you will spot the genius that is eluding me.