FAQ

Irish playwright Martin McDonagh wrote the script and directed the film. While the connection is unconfirmed, In Bruges shares a very similar plot with the novel *The Third Policeman*, written by fellow Irishman Flann O'Brien in 1940. McDonagh likely took inspiration from the novel while writing the script.

Yes. The makers even did a good job in having all locations in the right order as it is in real life. For anyone who ever visited Bruges it is very recognisable. The chase near the end, for instance, starts on the Grote Markt, through the Breydelstraat onto the Burg, then on to the Huidevettersplein, across the Vismarkt, and ends at the Gruuthuuse. All these locations are connected in the order they are shown in the movie.

It can be either. Belgium is a multilingual country, so many places have a French name (Bruges) and a Dutch name (Brugge). Some places even have German names. The official name is always the one in the part of the country where the place actually is located. As Bruges/Brugge is in the Dutch-speaking part, the official name is Brugge.

The evidence is conflicting as to whether or not Ray survives. (1) When he finishes his voiceover, Ray talks in the past tense, i.e., "And I really, really hoped I wouldn't die," which would not be possible if he had died, although it's obvious that, at the time, he thought he was going to die. (2) During the course of the movie, an "afterlife" is brought up many times. Ray was intrigued by the idea, and him talking in the past tense could be Ray in the "afterlife" speaking. (3) In the last shot of the film (seen through Ray's point of view from the gurney), Ray is carried onto the ambulance. The paramedic puts on, then takes off, Ray's oxygen mask, after which the camera cuts to black. This has been interpreted by some viewers as the paramedic deciding that Ray had no need for an oxygen mask because he was (a) dead or (b) breathing just fine and did not need the mask.

Yes, and this is evidently quite intentional. We are told numerous times that being in Bruges is like "being in a fairy tale." The end of the movie therefore has the larger-than-life irony of coincidence that one sees in a fairy tale or fable. This skirting with the fantastic also allows for the open ending, since in a strictly realistic movie there would be little difficulty answering that question, considering the amount of damage sustained by Ray.

This was mentioned briefly during the beginning of the movie. In the scene with Ray and Ken in the bar discussing what they should do next, Ray suggests, We give it another day, two days MAX, check the papers again and, if there's still 'nothin in 'em, we phone 'im and say, "Harry, thank you for the trip to Bruges...it's been very nice with all the 'ol buildings an lot, but we're comin' back to London now to hide out in a proper country where there's not all these fucking chuckles." So it was an option to phone their boss, but it's a bad idea to make any unnecessary movement while in hiding that may get you noticed, such as a hit man calling his boss to ask to come home because he thinks Bruges sucks.

In Bruges was strongly influenced, especially the ending, by Nicholas Roeg's Don't Look Now (1973), which is even mentioned by Jimmy as a big influence to the fictional European arty movie he's supposed to act in. Don't Look Now was about a couple going to Venice to deal with the loss of a child and the main character facing death in the final scene. Bruges is nicknamed the "Venice of the North" and a bell tower plays a key part in both stories. However, Don't Look Now is mostly dark and melancholic and doesn't feature the mix of humor and action shown in In Bruges. Several people have noted that In Bruges reminds them of Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels (1998), in which four Londoners lose big in a high stakes card game and have one week to come up with the cash. Another movie said to be somewhat like In Bruges is Snatch (2000), a dark comedy in which a boxing promoter finds himself involved with a motley group of characters and a diamond heist. Alternatively, try Intermission (2003), which follows a group of characters - a thuggish criminal, a recent dumpee, a tough cop and more - as their lives interweave in a series of accidents, conflicts and one messed-up bank robbery. Also recommended is I Went Down (1997), in which ex-cons tussle with loan sharks and the mob. There is Hot Fuzz (2007), in which a top London cop is reassigned to a sleepy village that suddenly has more than its share of grisly accidents, and Very Bad Things (1998) in which a woman is killed at a bachelor party in Las Vegas. Try Grosse Pointe Blank (1997), in which a hitman with a conscience is sent to do a job in his hometown where he is also attending his 10-year high school reunion, and The Matador (2005), in which another hitman crosses paths with a traveling salesman in a bar in Mexico City. Gun Shy (2000), Pulp Fiction (1994) and The Boondock Saints (1999) would be particularly good choices with similar themes of honor and moral codes amongst criminals/lawbreakers. For more dark comedies that feature shady characters, try these: Fargo (1996), Miller's Crossing (1990), The Way of the Gun (2000), Fight Club (1999), No Country for Old Men (2007), Death at a Funeral (2007), Kiss Kiss Bang Bang (2005), Love, Honor and Obey (2000), Sexy Beast (2000), Matchstick Men (2003), Lucky Number Slevin (2006), Layer Cake (2004), Big Nothing (2006), Seven Psychopaths (2012), and You Kill Me (2007). That should get you started.