In Bruges

Although this violent, foul-mouthed and very politically incorrect black comedy drama ticks some of the usual boxes for a British gangster movie - mismatched buddies, a hit gone wrong and a Mr Big played by an out-of-his-comfort-zone A-list star - it's both intelligent and entertaining while managing the miracle of actually being original. Colin Farrell and Brendan Gleeson play professional killers laying low in the medieval city of Bruges following a horribly botched job. While waiting for their boss (Ralph Fiennes) to give them orders, the pair go sightseeing, and their enforced sojourn in the picture-postcard location begins to have a strange effect. Both Gleeson and Farrell are excellent, and it is their relationship and philosophical (as well as profane) musings that give the film its drive, resulting in a lurid but unexpectedly affecting film about despair and the possibility of redemption.