In Bruges

"Every once in a while we get a film that's hard to categorise, and this is one of them. In Bruges is a weird mix of bloody violence and situational comedy that occasionally provides a sombre meditation on mortality, and even functions as a picturesque travelogue to boot. And it works. An original, engaging screenplay is brought to life with terrific performances by Farrell and Gleeson, taking a few unpredictable twists and turns on its way to a cracker of an ending."

"Closer to pics like “The Hit” and “Miller’s Crossing” than to McDonagh’s bristling, funny plays, this half-comic, half-serious account of two Irish hitmen who are sent to the titular Belgian burg to cool their heels after a job is moderately fair as a nutty character study, but overly far-fetched once the action kicks in."

"Mr. Gleeson, Mr. Farrell and especially the late-arriving and welcome Mr. Fiennes have great fun rummaging around inside Mr. McDonagh’s modest bag of tricks."

"Dark, hilarious and oddly moving."

"A haunting and hypnotic movie, just the thing to get lost in."

"An endlessly surprising, very dark, human comedy, with a plot that cannot be foreseen but only relished."

"This finale, which piles one bloody absurd epiphany on top of another almost ad infinitum, is where McDonagh lays all his cards on the table -- and his characters are the ones who have to pay up."

"With In Bruges, the British gangster movie gets a Croydon facelift. It may not be new, but it’s a wonderfully fresh take on a familiar genre: fucked-up, far-out and very, very funny."