In Bruges
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In Bruges

Year:
Duration:
107 min
Genres:
Comedy | Crime | Drama
IMDB rate:
8
Director:
Martin McDonagh
Awards:
Nominated for Oscar. Another 18 wins & 42 nominations
Details
Country: UK
Release Date: 2008-02-29
Filming Locations: Gruuthuse Museum, Bruges, West-Vlaanderen, Belgium
Earnings
Budget: $15,000,000
Opening Weekend: $457,227 (USA) (10 February 2008)
Gross: $7,757,130 (USA) (15 June 2008)
Cast
Actor
Character
Elizabeth Berrington
Natalie
Rudy Blomme
Ticket Seller
Olivier Bonjour
Film Director
Mark Donovan
Overweight Man
Ann Elsley
Overweight Woman #2
Colin Farrell
Ray
Jean-Marc Favorin
Policeman (as Jean Mark Favorin)
Ralph Fiennes
Harry
Brendan Gleeson
Ken
Eric Godon
Yuri
Zeljko Ivanek
Canadian Guy
Sachi Kimura
Imamoto
Anna Madeley
Denise
Louis Nummy
Harry's child #3
Clémence Poésy
Chloe
Jordan Prentice
Jimmy
Jérémie Renier
Eirik
Thekla Reuten
Marie
Theo Stevenson
Boy in Church
Inez Stinton
Kelli
Emily Thorling
Overweight Woman
Angel Witney
Harry's child #2
Bonnie Witney
Harry's child #1
Ran Yaniv
Barman
Stephanie Carey
Canadian Girl
Jamie Edgell
Boat Driver
Susan Ateh
Ken's Wife (uncredited)
Ciarán Hinds
Priest (uncredited)
Matt Smith
Young Harry Waters (uncredited)
Did you know?
Trivia
Because his head is disproportionally large compared to his body, Jordan Prentice is a dwarf, not a midget.
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Ken and Ray check into the hotel under the names "Cranham & Blakely", presumably after actors Kenneth Cranham and Colin Blakely who played two hit-men in a television adaptation of Harold Pinter's The Dumbwaiter, one of the film's major influences.
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Both Colin Farrell and Brendan Gleeson were nominated for Golden Globes. Farrell won the award.
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Goofs
That Ken was able to jump off the bell tower and land where he did would have required ample leg strength. However since he had been shot in the leg, this would not have been possible.
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(at around 8 minutes) When the fat tourists are making their way up the tower one of the main characters refers to the tourists as "Americans". However, when the "Americans" yell at him telling him he is mean saying "screw you"; they have an Irish accent.
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When Harry and Ken meet in the outdoor restaurant, the type of glass Harry drinks from changes from a large glass to a small glass.
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Quotes
Ken: I'm sorry about the message last night. The man who left it is a bit of a... well, he's a bit of a...
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Ticket Seller: The tower is closed this evening.
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Ken: See Jimmy, my wife was black, and I loved her very much. And in 1976, she was murdered by a white man. So where am I supposed to stand in all this blood and carnage?
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Faq
Q
What happens at the end of the film?
A
The evidence is conflicting as to whether or not Ray survives. (1) When he finishes his voiceover, Ray talks in the past tense, i.e., 'And I really, really hoped I wouldn't die,' which would not be possible if he had died, although it's obvious that, at the time, he *thought* he was going to die. (2) During the course of the movie, an "afterlife" is brought up many times. Ray was intrigued by the idea, and him talking in the past tense could be Ray in the "afterlife" speaking. (3) In the last shot of the film (seen through Ray's point of view from the gurney), Ray is carried onto the ambulance. The paramedic puts on, then takes off, Ray's oxygen mask, after which the camera cuts to black. This has been interpreted by some viewers as the paramedic deciding that Ray had no need for an oxygen mask because he was (a) dead or (b) breathing just fine and did not need the mask.
Q
Isn't the end of the movie a bit far-fetched?
A
Yes, and this is evidently quite intentional. We are told numerous times that being in Bruges is like "being in a fairy tale." The end of the movie therefore has the larger-than-life irony of coincidence that one sees in a fairy tale or fable. This skirting with the fantastic also allows for the open ending, since in a strictly realistic movie there would be little difficulty answering that question, considering the amount of damage sustained by Ray.
Q
Any recommendations for other movies similar to "In Bruges"?
A
In Bruges was strongly influenced, especially the ending, by Nicholas Roeg's Don't Look Now (1973), which is even mentioned by Jimmy as a big influence to the fictional European arty movie he's supposed to act in. Don't Look Now was about a couple going to Venice to deal with the loss of a child and the main character facing death in the final scene. Bruges is nicknamed the "Venice of the North" and a bell tower plays a key part in both stories. However, Don't Look Now is mostly dark and melancholic and doesn't feature the mix of humor and action shown in In Bruges. Several people have noted that In Bruges reminds them of Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels (1998), in which four Londoners lose big in a high stakes card game and have one week to come up with the cash. Another movie said to be somewhat like In Bruges is Snatch. (2000), a dark comedy in which a boxing promoter finds himself involved with a motley group of characters and a diamond heist. Alternatively, try Intermission (2003), which follows a group of characters - a thuggish criminal, a recent dumpee, a tough cop and more - as their lives interweave in a series of accidents, conflicts and one messed-up bank robbery. Also recommended is I Went Down (1997), in which ex-cons tussle with loan sharks and the mob. There is Hot Fuzz (2007), in which a top London cop is reassigned to a sleepy village that suddenly has more than its share of grizzly accidents, and Very Bad Things (1998) in which a woman is killed at a bachelor party in Las Vegas. Try Grosse Pointe Blank (1997), in which a hitman with a conscience is sent to do a job in his hometown where he is also attending his 10-year high school reunion, and The Matador (2005), in which another hitman crosses paths with a traveling salesman in a bar in Mexico City. Gun Shy (2000), Pulp Fiction (1994) and The Boondock Saints (1999) would be particularly good choices with similar themes of honor and moral codes amongst criminals/lawbreakers. For more dark comedies that feature shady characters, try these: Fargo (1996), Miller's Crossing (1990), The Way of the Gun (2000), Fight Club (1999), No Country for Old Men (2007), Death at a Funeral (2007), Kiss Kiss Bang Bang (2005), Love, Honour and Obey (2000), Sexy Beast (2000), Matchstick Men (2003), Lucky Number Slevin (2006), Layer Cake (2004), Big Nothing (2006), Seven Psychopaths (2012), and You Kill Me (2007) . That should get you started.
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