In Bruges (2008)
12-month trend
12-month trend
Monthly article views
2025-09 to 2026-08
Two Irish hitmen hide in the city of Bruges after a job goes wrong, while their boss decides their fate.
The story
After an inexperienced hitman named Ray accidentally kills an altar boy during a botched job, he and his mentor Ken are sent by their boss, Harry, to hide in the city of Bruges. While they are meant to sightsee and wait for further instructions, the two men must navigate the tension of their situation. Ray finds himself distracted by the local environment and a local woman, while Ken tries to maintain their cover. The film explores the psychological toll of their actions as they wait in the beautiful but tense atmosphere of the Belgian city.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
After Ray accidentally kills a child during a hit, he and his mentor Ken are sent to Bruges by their boss, Harry, to hide. While in the city, Ray becomes involved with a local woman named Chloë and encounters a local criminal, Eirik. Harry eventually orders Ken to kill Ray because the crime of killing a child is unforgivable. Ken, wanting to give Ray a chance at redemption, instead helps Ray flee the city. However, Harry discovers the betrayal and pursues them. A series of tense encounters ensues, including a confrontation between Harry and Ken at a bell tower, where Harry wounds Ken. Eventually, Harry catches up to Ray in a crowded area. In a final chaotic sequence, Harry shoots Ray but accidentally hits a man dressed as a schoolboy, leading Harry to believe he has killed a child and subsequently taking his own life. Ray is left alone, reflecting on the nature of his situation.
- First release year
- 2008
- Runtime (minutes)
- 107
- Production countries
- United Kingdom; United States
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- Martin McDonagh
- Writers
- Martin McDonagh · writer
- Cast and characters
- Colin Farrell · Ray; Brendan Gleeson · Ken; Ralph Fiennes · Harry; Clémence Poésy · Chloë; Jérémie Renier · Eirik
- Genres
- crime thriller; black comedy
- Themes
- redemption; masculinity; morality
- Tone and mood
- dark comedy; tense
- Premise and plot tags
- hitman; buddy movie; crime
- Content notes
- violence
- Reception
- The film received positive reviews from critics, particularly for the screenplay and the lead performances.
- Reported review scores
- Rotten Tomatoes · score: 84% · review count: 211; Metacritic · score: 67 · scale: 100 · review count: 34
- Production trivia
- The screenplay was ranked 40th-greatest of the 21st century by the Writers Guild of America in 2021.; The film's plot has similarities to Harold Pinter's 1957 one-act play The Dumb Waiter.; The film contains many references to the 1973 Nicolas Roeg film Don't Look Now.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
Your lists
Loading your lists…