Mini-Review: In Bruges v. Boondock Saints

So I watched a double feature of Boondock Saints (which I was finally seeing for the first time) and In Bruges. Since they were in roughly the same genre and were so entirely different in quality, I thought I'd provide a twin comparative review:

1. Boondock Saints is loud and flashy in all the wrong ways. It looks like it was shot by a fresh film school grad on crack. Every "cool" trick in the book is thrown in there for no reason other than it was cool. In Bruges is beautifully and subtly shot with wonderful use of depth of field and a willingness to let the images speak for themselves.

2. The characters in Boondock Saints are flat, stereotypical, and hold little interest. This is especially true of the Irish brothers who I am given no reason to care about whatsoever. Willem Defoe's gay FBI agent could have been something special, but with one or two exceptions (he is Willem Defoe after all) the character comes off as cliched. The characters from In Bruges are complex, contradictory, and all are compelling. Collin Ferrell's seems the most shallow on the surface, yet he is the one most haunted by killing a child. Brendan Gleeson's character is thoughtful and contemplative, with a world weariness that makes the stand he takes all the more powerful. Even Ralph Fiennes' character is compelling with his absolute code, which he follows to the letter.

3. The acting in Boondock Saints is terrible (again with a few exceptions from Defoe). The acting from In Bruges is top notch. I will admit this comparison is a bit unfair, given the cast of each, and the especially low budget for Boondock Saints.

4. The humor from Boondock Saints is juvenile, though Willem Defoe in a dress was pretty funny I have to admit. The humor from In Bruges was sly and clever and would hold up to repeated viewings. Even the obvious jokes about fat people and dwarves go in unexpected directions.

5. Finally, the themes and subtext from Boondock Saints...oh wait there were no themes or subtext. God tells two Irish brothers to kill whoever they think is bad, and we basically take that at face value to watch them shoot a ton of people. It's only the end credit news interviews that even for a second ask us to think more deeply about the issue. In Bruges, on the other hand, asks us to consider the value and flexibility of our moral codes, the basis and nature of friendship, the human ability to change, and whether Bruges is a shit hole or not. By the way, it clearly is not.