In Bruges (2008)

"In Bruges" is a brilliant, one-of-a-kind, off-kilter, very European (and I mean that as a complement) film about hit men cooling their heels in the historic Belgium city after an assignment goes terribly, awfully, ungodly wrong. It's bloody, nasty, hilarious, and smarter than most American crime comedies can ever hope to be. And it nearly never falters, except for an ending that seems a bit too Euro-ironic (to divulge it would be wrong). You know what? Hell with it. I love the ending's oddness.

Brendan Gleeson and Colin Farrell are London-based killers sent on the sabbatical by their seething, obscenity-spewing boss (Ralph Fiennes, delightful in a role that would scare Voldemort, Satan, and Cheney). Gleeson is Ken, the veteran killer, who instantly falls in love with the city's medieval architecture. Farrell is Ray, the novice young killer so despondent over a grievous error, he's suicidal. The two sight see, bicker, drink, meet a drug-addled-slash-racist dwarf, and wait for orders from Harry (Fiennes).

It all sounds absurd, and some of it is wonderfully, but Gleeson, Fiennes, and especially Farrell sell every minute. Props go to director/writer Martin McDonagh, who gives his cast some of the best and most unprintable lines in recent memory. He also gives this film soul and weight. All the strangeness onscreen, it seems more grounded than any crime film of the genre with hot babes, fast cars, and men jumping buildings or such nonsense. That Farrell can make his character likable after his secret is revealed is a testament to the actor's talents, long absent in such crud as "Daredevil." As the dwarf, Jordan Prentice is a hoot in a role that roils stereotypical "midget" roles. Gleeson, as always, is fascinating, menace mixed with sadness, and a long life lived. One of 2008's best. A