One could speak of ‘Innisherin’s Banshee’ as the return of the best Martin McDonagh, but really the old Irish playwright has almost always maintained an excellent level that has made him one of the essential filmmakers of the moment. ‘Three billboards on the outskirts’ won’t generate consensus, but its brilliance shines at times like ABBA’s ‘Chiquitita’, and ‘Seven Psychopaths’ is the kind of minor work that stands above many films of its style.
His ability to introduce pain and darkness into comedy, not just sticking to the beastly part of “black comedy”, his insight in dealing with the human emotions we share globally, his excellent direction of actors, his magical ability to create atmospheres and special atmospheres, almost fabled. Details that make you a first class directorwho are in his new movie but were also in ‘Hiding in Bruges’.
Trapped in Belgian purgatory
The film that brought him together for the first time with Colin Farrell and Brendan Gleeson, the protagonists of ‘The Banshee of Inisherin’, and which can still be seen streaming through Lionsgate+. A film in many aspects that is complementary to her new work, because of how it establishes dialogues with her, but which is extraordinary by itself. One of the best movies of this century.
Farrell and Gleeson are two contract killers who, after an operation gone terribly wrong, have to temporarily flee London and go under the radar in some unsuspecting location. The second chooses Bruges, a city with a lot of history and charm, perfect to visit while the waters calm down, but the first is supremely bored there and can’t stop thinking about what happened. little suspect that they are there for an even darker reason.
Between lines of incorrect humor, as uncomfortable as they are hilarious (McDonagh is unique in making humor along the lines of jokes told at funerals), the director creates some engaging characters with a delightfully complex relationship. The use of the Belgian location is also a delight, using its impressive architecture and tourist life to create an uneasy purgatory.
‘Hiding in Bruges’: funeral jokes
Because between laughs and apparent provocations, McDonagh creates a rather mature and dark story about people gripped by their own mind, by trauma, by depression. That contrast management it creates quite a unique combination, which feels intelligent but also tremendously human, making for a truly moving story in the middle of a carnival.
Its twist on crime thriller conventions makes ‘Hidden in Bruges’ a one of a kind movie. But it also helps to get the most out of these actors, especially a Farrell who, in addition to a highly inspired casting decision, finds his true strengths as an actor after several unsuccessful attempts to become a mainstream movie star. Everything is in the perfect place for him and it is always comforting to return to her.
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