Love from Bruges: the film that “kills clichés” with Colin Farrell and Brendan Gleeson (review)

Before The Banshees of Inisherin, Martin McDonagh already offered golden roles to these two Irish actors.

Two hitmen take refuge in Bruges, fleeing London after an assassination gone wrong. They are champing at the bit in the Belgian city when their boss asks one to execute the other…

Last winter, the Irish Colin Farrell And Brendan Gleeson were both excellent in The Banshees of Inisherina funny drama about friendship directed by Martin McDonagh (3 Billboards). A few years earlier, the same screenwriter and director brought them together for a thriller with an already original tone, Good kisses from Bruges, to be seen again this evening on Arte. Precisely from 10:40 p.m.

The Banshees of Inisherin: Colin Farrell at his peak (review)

Blood, action and all with a nice touch of 100% British humor. It would be a shame to deprive ourselves of the pleasure of once again watching this success released in 2008 at the cinema. Even if the “first act is very – too – dialogued”wrote First at the time, Good kisses from Bruges “invites us to a very stimulating reflection on the image.” “Supported by the presence of the actors, the last two acts see the staging take on new heights”tell us by giving it three stars.

A well-crafted plot, good twists and enjoyable lines, Good kisses from Bruges, which is also worn by Florence Poésy, Ralph Fiennes and Jérémie Renier, is worth the detour. At the timeFirst was a partner of the cultural site Fluctuate, which had published a longer opinion. Here it is, to wait until its rebroadcast.

A killer film where we marvel at the architectural wonders of Bruges. An action film where we spend the evening sipping pints at the pub. A spy film where a dwarf dresses as a schoolgirl. The picture is eclectic to say the least. In any case, it’s unclassifiable and it’s worth seeing!

“Belgium: its mussels, its fries, and its hitmen.” The promise of the poster can make your mouth water or frankly scare you away. Don’t panic, this isn’t the latest fat and indigestible comedy made in the USA for popcorn-eating teenagers. On the contrary, this little surprise – coming from across the Channel and not across the Atlantic – turns out to be rather tasty! Of a flavor rarely found elsewhere, even.

At the helm, director and screenwriter Martin McDonagh, also a playwright, shows subtlety. Navigating between genres without risking the patchwork effect of such an exercise, he balances the frank comedy with a little touch of romance and drama, brings out the action by surprise, suddenly accelerating the pace of an otherwise more relaxed development. . Adding to this fine success, British humor does not fail, offering itself the luxury of high aerobatics between bad taste and heavy-handed gag without ever falling into one nor the other.

With his role as an Irish killer resistant to the poetry of the Bruges canals, Colin Farrell delivers a fine performance. Never off the mark, he plays silliness, trauma or seduction with equal naturalness, composing a protagonist with a palpable reality in each shot. His partner Brendan Gleeson is no less on point, but a small downside on the other hand for Ralph Fiennes, whose acting and character are more caricatured.

When discussing his film, Martin McDonagh talks about one story at a time “funny, exciting, full of danger, strange and complex”. The mixture seems improbable, yet these are the right words. The very ones who make Good Kisses from Bruges a unique film of its kind, singular enough not to be missed, and strangely as English as… Belgian!