In Bruges
Encyclopedia
In Bruges is a 2008 black comedy
crime film
written and directed by Martin McDonagh
. The film stars Colin Farrell
and Brendan Gleeson
as two hitmen in hiding, with Ralph Fiennes
as their gangster boss. The film takes place—and was filmed—within the Belgian city of Bruges
. In Bruges was the opening night film of the 2008 Sundance Film Festival
. The film opened in limited release in the United States on February 8, 2008; premiered at the Jameson Dublin International Film Festival
on February 15, 2008; later went on full release in Ireland on March 8, 2008; and opened April 18, 2008 in the United Kingdom.
Colin Farrell won a Golden Globe Award
for Best Actor in a Musical or Comedy for the film, while Martin McDonagh won a BAFTA Award for Best Original Screenplay.
, and amidst the city's storybook background they come to terms with issues of guilt, morality, and redemption.
During his first job, rookie hitman Ray (Colin Farrell
) accidentally kills a young boy. He and his senior colleague Ken (Brendan Gleeson
) are sent to Bruges by their employer Harry Waters (Ralph Fiennes
), and told to await further instructions. While Ken takes in the sights and historic medieval buildings, Ray is morose and withdrawn, wracked with guilt over the boy's death. One night, while observing a film shoot with the dwarf actor Jimmy (Jordan Prentice
), Ray strikes up a romance with Chloë (Clémence Poésy
), a local drug dealer and thief, moonlighting as a production assistant
. On a date, Ray gets involved in a fistfight with a couple from Canada, mistaking them for Americans. Later that night, Chloë's former boyfriend Eirik (Jérémie Renier
) threatens Ray with a handgun loaded with blanks, but Ray disarms him and shoots Eirik in the eye, partially blinding him.
Despite his budding romance with Chloë, Ray's guilt at his accidental killing of the boy continues to haunt him. Ken finally receives a call from Harry, who orders him to kill Ray on the principle that the killing of a child — even accidentally — is unforgivable; he would expect the same penalty if it happened to him, as Harry is a family man himself. Ken retrieves a handgun from Harry's local Belgian contact and tracks Ray to a park. As Ken sneaks up behind Ray to kill him, he sees Ray is about to shoot himself. His concern for his young charge overrides his sense of duty to their employer, and Ken prevents Ray's suicide. Ken then confesses to Ray that he had been ordered by Harry to kill Ray, although Ken denies that he intended to go through with the execution. While the two discuss the situation, Ken disarms Ray and convinces him to leave the city and the business. Following Ray's departure, Ken calls Harry, reveals his insubordination and location, and abruptly hangs up. An enraged Harry immediately heads to Bruges, where he gets a gun from his contact.
Before Ray's train has travelled far from the city, he is arrested for assaulting the Canadian couple and escorted back to Bruges. Chloë bails Ray out of jail, and the two share a drink on the market square beneath Bruges' belfry
. Ken and Harry meet for a drink nearby, before heading to the belfry, passing by Ray and Chloë without noticing them. At the top of the carillon tower, Ken declares that Ray deserves a chance at redemption, but refuses to fight Harry in defense of his own life, as he loves and respects him for his honor and integrity. Harry, while furious, takes pity on Ken and shoots him in the leg rather than kill him. When Eirik, passing by, spots Ray and Chloë and informs Harry of Ray's location, Ken fights with Harry for Ray's sake, and is shot in the neck. Harry descends the steps to confront Ray, leaving Ken seriously wounded. Ken drags himself back to the top of the carillon
tower and searches for Harry in an attempt to shoot him before he harms Ray, but due to fog, he cannot see from the tower. Ken decides to jump off with his gun, hoping to allow Ray to use it in his defence. After first scattering coins to clear the area below of people, he jumps and lands in the plaza, living just long enough to warn Ray of Harry's arrival. However, the gun is shattered by the fall.
With Harry in pursuit, Ray flees back to the hotel for his gun, which Ken had stashed in a drawer in their room. Harry arrives soon after, but Marie (Thekla Reuten
), the pregnant owner of the hotel, refuses to allow him up the stairs. Shouting through the stairwell, both men agree that Ray will try to flee from the back of the hotel, and Harry will run after him and shoot him if he can. Ray jumps on to a passing boat and loses his gun in the process. Ray looks back in time to see Harry drawing down on him from a bridge, but doubts that Harry will be able to make the shot due to the distance. Despite the long range, Harry fires and hits Ray in the abdomen. Harry pursues the now-wounded Ray through the streets before stumbling onto the film set, where Jimmy is in costume as a schoolboy. Harry shoots Ray another three times and in the process inadvertently shoots Jimmy in the head. Mistaking Jimmy's headless body for that of a child, Harry commits suicide on principle despite Ray's attempts to explain. The gravely-wounded Ray is lifted onto an ambulance as he sees Marie, Eirik and Chloë in turn. Once in the ambulance, Ray considers prison or death as sufficient recompense for accidentally killing the boy, but then wonders if hell consists of staying in Bruges forever, at which point he says he hopes to live. He then slips into unconsciousness, leaving his fate unclear.
's one-act play The Dumb Waiter
. The film also contains many references to Don't Look Now
, including the claim by Chloë that the film-within-a-film is a homage to that film.
Ken is seen watching the beginning of Orson Welles
' Touch of Evil
, with its notable continuous take of a car bombing. This precedes a six-minute tracking shot
of Ken speaking on the telephone with Harry, where Harry instructs Ken to assassinate Ray.
The layout of Harry Water's desk and chair in his office at home are very similar to the layout of the office in the Corleone family home in The Godfather
.
and see Hieronymus Bosch's painting The Last Judgement. Actors in the "film-within-a-film" wear costumes resembling elements of the painting, creating a symbolism of Bruges as heaven, purgatory, and/or hell.
In the museum, Ray views the painting The Flaying of the Corrupt Judge Sisamnes
(1498) by Gerard David
.
reported that 81% of critics gave the film positive reviews, based on 152 reviews. Metacritic
reported that the film had an average score of 67 out of 100, based on 34 reviews. Chicago Sun-Times
film critic Roger Ebert
gave the film high praise and a four-out-of-four stars rating, saying, "This film debut by the theater writer and director Martin McDonagh is an endlessly surprising, very dark, human comedy, with a plot that cannot be foreseen but only relished."
, including nominations for The Douglas Hickox Award for Best Debut Director, Best Actor, and Best Screenplay, the latter of which it won. It was also been nominated for two IPA
Satellite Awards for Best Actor (Brendan Gleeson) and Motion Picture – Comedy or Musical.
In November 2008, Martin McDonagh won the Irish Playwrights and Screenwriters Guild (IPSG) award for Best Film Script for In Bruges.
The film was also nominated for the 2008 Golden Globe Award for Best Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy, and both Brendan Gleeson and Colin Farrell were nominated for Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture – Comedy or Musical, which Farrell won at the 66th Golden Globe Awards
ceremony, broadcast on January 11, 2009. McDonagh won the Best Screenplay BAFTA Award in February 2009.
The film was nominated for an Academy Award
for Best Original Screenplay in 2009 but lost to Milk
. In the same year, it won the Irish Film and Television Awards for Best International Film.
in Region 1 on 24 June 2008, Region 2 on 11 August 2008 and Region 4 on 21 January 2009. It was also released on Blu-ray Disc
on 27 January 2009, and in Region 1 on July 13, 2010.
released the film's soundtrack album, featuring the score by Carter Burwell
.
Black comedy
A black comedy, or dark comedy, is a comic work that employs black humor or gallows humor. The definition of black humor is problematic; it has been argued that it corresponds to the earlier concept of gallows humor; and that, as humor has been defined since Freud as a comedic act that anesthetizes...
crime film
Crime film
Crime films are films which focus on the lives of criminals. The stylistic approach to a crime film varies from realistic portrayals of real-life criminal figures, to the far-fetched evil doings of imaginary arch-villains. Criminal acts are almost always glorified in these movies.- Plays and films...
written and directed by Martin McDonagh
Martin McDonagh
Martin McDonagh is an Irish-British playwright, filmmaker, and screenwriter. Although he has lived in London his entire life, he is considered one of the most important living Irish playwrights.-Life:...
. The film stars Colin Farrell
Colin Farrell
Colin James Farrell is an Irish actor, who has appeared in such film as Tigerland, Miami Vice, Minority Report, Phone Booth, The Recruit, Alexander and S.W.A.T....
and Brendan Gleeson
Brendan Gleeson
Brendan Gleeson is an Irish actor. His best-known films include Braveheart, Gangs of New York, In Bruges, 28 Days Later, the Harry Potter films, The Guard and the role of Michael Collins in The Treaty...
as two hitmen in hiding, with Ralph Fiennes
Ralph Fiennes
Ralph Nathaniel Twisleton-Wykeham-Fiennes is an English actor and film director. He has appeared in such films as The English Patient, In Bruges, The Constant Gardener, Strange Days, The Duchess and Schindler's List....
as their gangster boss. The film takes place—and was filmed—within the Belgian city of Bruges
Bruges
Bruges is the capital and largest city of the province of West Flanders in the Flemish Region of Belgium. It is located in the northwest of the country....
. In Bruges was the opening night film of the 2008 Sundance Film Festival
2008 Sundance Film Festival
The 2008 Sundance Film Festival ran from January 17, 2008 to January 27 in Park City, Utah. It was the 24th iteration of the Sundance Film Festival. The opening night film was In Bruges and the closing night film was CSNY Déjà Vu.-Films:...
. The film opened in limited release in the United States on February 8, 2008; premiered at the Jameson Dublin International Film Festival
Jameson Dublin International Film Festival
The Jameson Dublin International Film Festival is a film festival that is held annually in February over the course of ten days in Dublin, Republic of Ireland-History:The Jameson Dublin International Film Festival was established in 2003...
on February 15, 2008; later went on full release in Ireland on March 8, 2008; and opened April 18, 2008 in the United Kingdom.
Colin Farrell won a Golden Globe Award
Golden Globe Award
The Golden Globe Award is an accolade bestowed by the 93 members of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association recognizing excellence in film and television, both domestic and foreign...
for Best Actor in a Musical or Comedy for the film, while Martin McDonagh won a BAFTA Award for Best Original Screenplay.
Plot
Two hitmen hide out in the city of BrugesBruges
Bruges is the capital and largest city of the province of West Flanders in the Flemish Region of Belgium. It is located in the northwest of the country....
, and amidst the city's storybook background they come to terms with issues of guilt, morality, and redemption.
During his first job, rookie hitman Ray (Colin Farrell
Colin Farrell
Colin James Farrell is an Irish actor, who has appeared in such film as Tigerland, Miami Vice, Minority Report, Phone Booth, The Recruit, Alexander and S.W.A.T....
) accidentally kills a young boy. He and his senior colleague Ken (Brendan Gleeson
Brendan Gleeson
Brendan Gleeson is an Irish actor. His best-known films include Braveheart, Gangs of New York, In Bruges, 28 Days Later, the Harry Potter films, The Guard and the role of Michael Collins in The Treaty...
) are sent to Bruges by their employer Harry Waters (Ralph Fiennes
Ralph Fiennes
Ralph Nathaniel Twisleton-Wykeham-Fiennes is an English actor and film director. He has appeared in such films as The English Patient, In Bruges, The Constant Gardener, Strange Days, The Duchess and Schindler's List....
), and told to await further instructions. While Ken takes in the sights and historic medieval buildings, Ray is morose and withdrawn, wracked with guilt over the boy's death. One night, while observing a film shoot with the dwarf actor Jimmy (Jordan Prentice
Jordan Prentice
Jordan Prentice is a Canadian dwarf actor. He is known for his portrayal of Rock in American Pie Presents: The Naked Mile and Jimmy in the Oscar-nominated In Bruges. He was also one of the actors to play Howard the Duck...
), Ray strikes up a romance with Chloë (Clémence Poésy
Clémence Poésy
Clémence Poésy is a French actress and fashion model. Since starting on the stage as a child, Poésy had dramatic education, and has been active on both film and television since 1999, including some English-language productions...
), a local drug dealer and thief, moonlighting as a production assistant
Production assistant
A production assistant, also known as a PA, is a job title used in filmmaking and television for a person responsible for various aspects of a production...
. On a date, Ray gets involved in a fistfight with a couple from Canada, mistaking them for Americans. Later that night, Chloë's former boyfriend Eirik (Jérémie Renier
Jérémie Renier
Jérémie Renier is a Belgian actor. He lives in Paris, France. His film debut was in the critically praised La Promesse , directed by Luc and Jean-Pierre Dardenne. He became better known to worldwide audiences in Brotherhood of the Wolf and L'Enfant...
) threatens Ray with a handgun loaded with blanks, but Ray disarms him and shoots Eirik in the eye, partially blinding him.
Despite his budding romance with Chloë, Ray's guilt at his accidental killing of the boy continues to haunt him. Ken finally receives a call from Harry, who orders him to kill Ray on the principle that the killing of a child — even accidentally — is unforgivable; he would expect the same penalty if it happened to him, as Harry is a family man himself. Ken retrieves a handgun from Harry's local Belgian contact and tracks Ray to a park. As Ken sneaks up behind Ray to kill him, he sees Ray is about to shoot himself. His concern for his young charge overrides his sense of duty to their employer, and Ken prevents Ray's suicide. Ken then confesses to Ray that he had been ordered by Harry to kill Ray, although Ken denies that he intended to go through with the execution. While the two discuss the situation, Ken disarms Ray and convinces him to leave the city and the business. Following Ray's departure, Ken calls Harry, reveals his insubordination and location, and abruptly hangs up. An enraged Harry immediately heads to Bruges, where he gets a gun from his contact.
Before Ray's train has travelled far from the city, he is arrested for assaulting the Canadian couple and escorted back to Bruges. Chloë bails Ray out of jail, and the two share a drink on the market square beneath Bruges' belfry
Belfry of Bruges
The belfry of Bruges, or Belfort, is a medieval bell tower in the historical centre of Bruges, Belgium. One of the city's most prominent symbols, the belfry formerly housed a treasury and the municipal archives, and served as an observation post for spotting fires and other danger...
. Ken and Harry meet for a drink nearby, before heading to the belfry, passing by Ray and Chloë without noticing them. At the top of the carillon tower, Ken declares that Ray deserves a chance at redemption, but refuses to fight Harry in defense of his own life, as he loves and respects him for his honor and integrity. Harry, while furious, takes pity on Ken and shoots him in the leg rather than kill him. When Eirik, passing by, spots Ray and Chloë and informs Harry of Ray's location, Ken fights with Harry for Ray's sake, and is shot in the neck. Harry descends the steps to confront Ray, leaving Ken seriously wounded. Ken drags himself back to the top of the carillon
Carillon
A carillon is a musical instrument that is typically housed in a free-standing bell tower, or the belfry of a church or other municipal building. The instrument consists of at least 23 cast bronze, cup-shaped bells, which are played serially to play a melody, or sounded together to play a chord...
tower and searches for Harry in an attempt to shoot him before he harms Ray, but due to fog, he cannot see from the tower. Ken decides to jump off with his gun, hoping to allow Ray to use it in his defence. After first scattering coins to clear the area below of people, he jumps and lands in the plaza, living just long enough to warn Ray of Harry's arrival. However, the gun is shattered by the fall.
With Harry in pursuit, Ray flees back to the hotel for his gun, which Ken had stashed in a drawer in their room. Harry arrives soon after, but Marie (Thekla Reuten
Thekla Reuten
Thekla Simona Gelsomina Reuten is a Dutch actress.Reuten was born in Bussum, Netherlands, the daughter of an Italian mother and a Dutch father. Reuten portrayed Duncan MacLeod's love interest Anna in Highlander: The Source, released in September 2007...
), the pregnant owner of the hotel, refuses to allow him up the stairs. Shouting through the stairwell, both men agree that Ray will try to flee from the back of the hotel, and Harry will run after him and shoot him if he can. Ray jumps on to a passing boat and loses his gun in the process. Ray looks back in time to see Harry drawing down on him from a bridge, but doubts that Harry will be able to make the shot due to the distance. Despite the long range, Harry fires and hits Ray in the abdomen. Harry pursues the now-wounded Ray through the streets before stumbling onto the film set, where Jimmy is in costume as a schoolboy. Harry shoots Ray another three times and in the process inadvertently shoots Jimmy in the head. Mistaking Jimmy's headless body for that of a child, Harry commits suicide on principle despite Ray's attempts to explain. The gravely-wounded Ray is lifted onto an ambulance as he sees Marie, Eirik and Chloë in turn. Once in the ambulance, Ray considers prison or death as sufficient recompense for accidentally killing the boy, but then wonders if hell consists of staying in Bruges forever, at which point he says he hopes to live. He then slips into unconsciousness, leaving his fate unclear.
Cast
- Colin FarrellColin FarrellColin James Farrell is an Irish actor, who has appeared in such film as Tigerland, Miami Vice, Minority Report, Phone Booth, The Recruit, Alexander and S.W.A.T....
as Ray, a novice hitman racked with guilt from his first assignment. - Brendan GleesonBrendan GleesonBrendan Gleeson is an Irish actor. His best-known films include Braveheart, Gangs of New York, In Bruges, 28 Days Later, the Harry Potter films, The Guard and the role of Michael Collins in The Treaty...
as Ken, an older and more experienced hitman. - Ralph FiennesRalph FiennesRalph Nathaniel Twisleton-Wykeham-Fiennes is an English actor and film director. He has appeared in such films as The English Patient, In Bruges, The Constant Gardener, Strange Days, The Duchess and Schindler's List....
as Harry Waters, a grumpy crime boss with unbending principles. - Clémence PoésyClémence PoésyClémence Poésy is a French actress and fashion model. Since starting on the stage as a child, Poésy had dramatic education, and has been active on both film and television since 1999, including some English-language productions...
as Chloë Villette, a Belgian criminal and production assistant who is also a drug-dealer. - Jordan PrenticeJordan PrenticeJordan Prentice is a Canadian dwarf actor. He is known for his portrayal of Rock in American Pie Presents: The Naked Mile and Jimmy in the Oscar-nominated In Bruges. He was also one of the actors to play Howard the Duck...
as Jimmy, an American drug-addicted dwarf actor. - Thekla ReutenThekla ReutenThekla Simona Gelsomina Reuten is a Dutch actress.Reuten was born in Bussum, Netherlands, the daughter of an Italian mother and a Dutch father. Reuten portrayed Duncan MacLeod's love interest Anna in Highlander: The Source, released in September 2007...
as Marie, co-owner and operator of the hotel. - Jérémie RenierJérémie RenierJérémie Renier is a Belgian actor. He lives in Paris, France. His film debut was in the critically praised La Promesse , directed by Luc and Jean-Pierre Dardenne. He became better known to worldwide audiences in Brotherhood of the Wolf and L'Enfant...
as Eirik, Chloë's ex-boyfriend and ex-partner in crime. - Anna MadeleyAnna MadeleyAnna Madeley is a British actress. She has been described by the British Theatre Guide's Philip Fisher as one of the United Kingdom's "brightest and most versatile young actresses".-Biography:...
as Denise, a Dutch prostitute picked up by Jimmy. - Elizabeth Berrington as Natalie, Harry's wife.
- Eric Godon as Yuri, Harry's Belgian contact who sells illegal weaponry.
- Mark DonovanMark DonovanMark Donovan is a Welsh character actor best known for grotesque roles in productions such as Shaun of the Dead, Black Books, In Bruges, and Murder Investigation Team. He also played a brief scene of Hamlet in an episode of the David Renwick comedy-drama, Love Soup...
as Overweight Man - Željko IvanekŽeljko IvanekŽeljko Ivanek is an Emmy award-winning Slovenian American actor best known for his role as Ray Fiske on Damages. He is also known for playing Blake Sterling on short-lived NBC series The Event and Emile Danko on Heroes....
as Canadian Guy - Theo Stevenson as Boy in Church
- Cinsyla KeyCinsyla KeyCinsyla Key is an Anglo-French actress and singer, with Irish roots. She has appeared in such films as Angel, Mr Nobody, In Bruges, ...- Early life and career :...
as Hotel guest - Ciarán HindsCiarán HindsCiarán Hinds is an Irish film, television and stage actor. He has built up a reputation as a versatile character actor appearing in such high profile films as Road to Perdition, The Phantom of the Opera, Munich, There Will Be Blood and Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy. His television roles include...
as The Priest
Film references
The plot bears notable similarities to Harold PinterHarold Pinter
Harold Pinter, CH, CBE was a Nobel Prize–winning English playwright and screenwriter. One of the most influential modern British dramatists, his writing career spanned more than 50 years. His best-known plays include The Birthday Party , The Homecoming , and Betrayal , each of which he adapted to...
's one-act play The Dumb Waiter
The Dumb Waiter
The Dumb Waiter is a one-act play by 2005 Nobel Laureate Harold Pinter written in 1957; it premiered at the Hampstead Theatre Club, on 21 January 1960...
. The film also contains many references to Don't Look Now
Don't Look Now
Don't Look Now is a 1973 thriller film directed by Nicolas Roeg. Julie Christie and Donald Sutherland star as a married couple whose lives become complicated after meeting two elderly sisters in Venice, one of whom claims to be clairvoyant and informs them that their recently deceased daughter is...
, including the claim by Chloë that the film-within-a-film is a homage to that film.
Ken is seen watching the beginning of Orson Welles
Orson Welles
George Orson Welles , best known as Orson Welles, was an American film director, actor, theatre director, screenwriter, and producer, who worked extensively in film, theatre, television and radio...
' Touch of Evil
Touch of Evil
Touch of Evil is a 1958 American crime thriller film, written, directed by, and co-starring Orson Welles. The screenplay was loosely based on the novel Badge of Evil by Whit Masterson...
, with its notable continuous take of a car bombing. This precedes a six-minute tracking shot
Tracking shot
In motion picture terminology, a tracking shot is a segment in which the camera is mounted on a camera dolly, a wheeled platform that is pushed on rails while the picture is being taken...
of Ken speaking on the telephone with Harry, where Harry instructs Ken to assassinate Ray.
The layout of Harry Water's desk and chair in his office at home are very similar to the layout of the office in the Corleone family home in The Godfather
The Godfather
The Godfather is a 1972 American epic crime film directed by Francis Ford Coppola, based on the 1969 novel by Mario Puzo. With a screenplay by Puzo, Coppola and an uncredited Robert Towne, the film stars Marlon Brando, Al Pacino, James Caan, Robert Duvall, Sterling Hayden, John Marley, Richard...
.
Sights of Bruges
At one point, Ken and Ray visit the GroeningemuseumGroeningemuseum
The Groeningemuseum is a municipal museum of Bruges, Belgium.It houses a comprehensive survey of six centuries of Flemish and Belgian painting, from Jan van Eyck to Marcel Broodthaers...
and see Hieronymus Bosch's painting The Last Judgement. Actors in the "film-within-a-film" wear costumes resembling elements of the painting, creating a symbolism of Bruges as heaven, purgatory, and/or hell.
In the museum, Ray views the painting The Flaying of the Corrupt Judge Sisamnes
Sisamnes
According to Herodotus, Sisamnes was a corrupt judge under Cambyses II of Persia. He accepted a bribe and delivered an unjust verdict. As a result, the king had him arrested and flayed alive...
(1498) by Gerard David
Gerard David
Gerard David was an Early Netherlandish painter and manuscript illuminator known for his brilliant use of color.-Life:...
.
Critical reception
The film received much acclaim from critics. , the review aggregator Rotten TomatoesRotten Tomatoes
Rotten Tomatoes is a website devoted to reviews, information, and news of films—widely known as a film review aggregator. Its name derives from the cliché of audiences throwing tomatoes and other vegetables at a poor stage performance...
reported that 81% of critics gave the film positive reviews, based on 152 reviews. Metacritic
Metacritic
Metacritic.com is a website that collates reviews of music albums, games, movies, TV shows and DVDs. For each product, a numerical score from each review is obtained and the total is averaged. An excerpt of each review is provided along with a hyperlink to the source. Three colour codes of Green,...
reported that the film had an average score of 67 out of 100, based on 34 reviews. Chicago Sun-Times
Chicago Sun-Times
The Chicago Sun-Times is an American daily newspaper published in Chicago, Illinois. It is the flagship paper of the Sun-Times Media Group.-History:The Chicago Sun-Times is the oldest continuously published daily newspaper in the city...
film critic Roger Ebert
Roger Ebert
Roger Joseph Ebert is an American film critic and screenwriter. He is the first film critic to win a Pulitzer Prize for Criticism.Ebert is known for his film review column and for the television programs Sneak Previews, At the Movies with Gene Siskel and Roger Ebert, and Siskel and Ebert and The...
gave the film high praise and a four-out-of-four stars rating, saying, "This film debut by the theater writer and director Martin McDonagh is an endlessly surprising, very dark, human comedy, with a plot that cannot be foreseen but only relished."
Accolades
In Bruges was nominated for a total of seven awards by the British Independent Film AwardsBritish Independent Film Awards
The Moët British Independent Film Awards is an annual award ceremony celebrating achievement in independently funded British film and cinema. Nominations and jury are announced at the beginning of November with the award ceremony taking place in late November or early December.-History:The British...
, including nominations for The Douglas Hickox Award for Best Debut Director, Best Actor, and Best Screenplay, the latter of which it won. It was also been nominated for two IPA
International Press Academy
The International Press Academy is a large and diverse association of professional entertainment journalists, representing both domestic and foreign markets in print, television, radio, cable and new media outlets. The academy was founded in 1996 by Mirjana Van Blaricom...
Satellite Awards for Best Actor (Brendan Gleeson) and Motion Picture – Comedy or Musical.
In November 2008, Martin McDonagh won the Irish Playwrights and Screenwriters Guild (IPSG) award for Best Film Script for In Bruges.
The film was also nominated for the 2008 Golden Globe Award for Best Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy, and both Brendan Gleeson and Colin Farrell were nominated for Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture – Comedy or Musical, which Farrell won at the 66th Golden Globe Awards
66th Golden Globe Awards
The 66th Golden Globe Awards Ceremony was broadcast on January 11, 2009, from the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Beverly Hills, California, United States on the NBC TV network...
ceremony, broadcast on January 11, 2009. McDonagh won the Best Screenplay BAFTA Award in February 2009.
The film was nominated for an Academy Award
81st Academy Awards
The 81st Academy Awards ceremony, presented by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences , honored the best films of 2008 and took place February 22, 2009, at the Kodak Theatre in Hollywood, Los Angeles beginning at 5:30 p.m. PST / 8:30 p.m. EST...
for Best Original Screenplay in 2009 but lost to Milk
Milk (film)
Milk is a 2008 American biographical film on the life of gay rights activist and politician Harvey Milk, who was the first openly gay person to be elected to public office in California, as a member of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors...
. In the same year, it won the Irish Film and Television Awards for Best International Film.
Home media
The film was released on DVDDVD
A DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions....
in Region 1 on 24 June 2008, Region 2 on 11 August 2008 and Region 4 on 21 January 2009. It was also released on Blu-ray Disc
Blu-ray Disc
Blu-ray Disc is an optical disc storage medium designed to supersede the DVD format. The plastic disc is 120 mm in diameter and 1.2 mm thick, the same size as DVDs and CDs. Blu-ray Discs contain 25 GB per layer, with dual layer discs being the norm for feature-length video discs...
on 27 January 2009, and in Region 1 on July 13, 2010.
Soundtrack
Lakeshore RecordsLakeshore Records
Lakeshore Records is the independent music division of Lakeshore Entertainment . They started out as WILL Records.Will Records were started by Skip Williamson in the early 90s...
released the film's soundtrack album, featuring the score by Carter Burwell
Carter Burwell
Carter Benedict Burwell is an American composer of film scores.-Life and career:Burwell was born in New York City, the son of Natalie , a math teacher, and Charles Burwell, who founded Thaibok Fabrics, Ltd...
.
- Prologue (1:17)
- Medieval Waters (1:40)
- The Little Dead Boy (1:46)
- St. John the Gambler – Townes Van ZandtTownes Van ZandtJohn Townes Van Zandt , best known as Townes Van Zandt, was an American Texas Country-folk music singer-songwriter, performer, and poet...
(3:03) - The Last Judgement (1:52)
- View from the Tower (1:04)
- My Suicide Your Homicide (1:38)
- Brandy Alexander – The WalkmenThe WalkmenThe Walkmen are an American indie rock band, with members based in New York City and Philadelphia. The band formed in 2000 with three members from Jonathan Fire*Eater—Paul Maroon , Walter Martin , and Matt Barrick —and two from The Recoys, Peter Bauer and Hamilton Leithauser . All but Bauer...
(2:30) - Save the Next Boy (1:19)
- Ray at the Mirror (1:19)
- That Time – Regina SpektorRegina SpektorRegina Ilyinichna Spektor is a Russian American singer-songwriter and pianist. Her music is associated with the anti-folk scene centered in New York City's East Village.-Early life:...
- Walking Bruges (:36)
- The Magic Frog (:50)
- Schubert: 'Der Leiermann' from WinterreiseWinterreiseWinterreise is a song cycle for voice and piano by Franz Schubert , a setting of 24 poems by Wilhelm Müller. It is the second of Schubert's two great song cycles on Müller's poems, the earlier being Die schöne Müllerin...
: Andreas Schmidt and Rudolf JansenRudolf JansenRudolf Jansen is a Dutch pianist, who studied piano, organ and harpsichord simultaneously at the Conservatoire of Amsterdam. His teachers were Nelly Wagenaar, his father Simon C. Jansen, Felix de Nobel and Gustav Leonhardt...
(3:40) - Harry Walks (1:22)
- Dressing for Death (1:11)
- The Kiss Walk Past (1:04)
- Raglan RoadOn Raglan Road"On Raglan Road" is a well-known Irish song from a poem written by Irish poet Patrick Kavanagh named after Raglan Road in Ballsbridge, Dublin. In the poem the poet, walking on a "quiet street", recalls a love affair he had with a young woman...
– The DublinersThe DublinersThe Dubliners are an Irish folk band founded in 1962.-Formation and history:The Dubliners, initially known as "The Ronnie Drew Ballad Group", formed in 1962 and made a name for themselves playing regularly in O'Donoghue's Pub in Dublin...
(4:15) - Thugs Passing in the Night (1:13)
- Shootout Part 1 (2:10)
- When He's Dead (1:08)
- Shootout Part 2 (2:44)
- Principles (1:25)
- I Didn't Want to Die (1:35)
- 2000 Miles – The PretendersThe PretendersThe Pretenders are an English rock band formed in Hereford, England in March 1978. The original band consisted of initiator and main songwriter Chrissie Hynde , James Honeyman-Scott , Pete Farndon , and Martin Chambers...
(3:38)