Great Scene: “In Bruges”

Guilt-stricken after a job gone wrong, hitman Ray (Colin Farrell) and his partner Ken (Brendan Gleeson) await orders from their ruthless boss in Bruges, Belgium.

Written and directed by Martin McDonagh.

Setup: Told to kill Ray, gun-toting Ken follows his partner to a park, seated alone on a bench, and prepares to do the hit.

The scene is great for several reasons.

• There is the building tension as Ken makes his way toward Ray.
• Ken really does not want to kill Ray as he has grown rather fond of the young man.
• The dramatic irony that we know what Ken’s plan is while Ray does not.
• The big twist as Ken approaches Ray, raises his gun only to see Ray raise his own gun, just about to commit suicide. So it is quite literally a murder v. suicide moment.

The scene takes another big twist which sets up for a terrific ending: When Ken sees Ray about to shoot himself, Ken can’t help but call out to him. This causes Ray to turn around. Shocked by Ken’s interruption. Shocked even more when he spies the gun — with silencer attached — in Ken’s hand.

So they stand there, two hit men, guns in hand in a ‘what the fuck is going to happen moment’.

The scene is followed by another wonderful moment in which we cut to a few minutes later, the two men seated next to each other, processing everything that has just transpired, a dramatic contrast to the heightened tension of the previous scene: The Storm followed by Intense Quiet.

Takeaways: Build tension. Dramatic irony. Surprise. Twists. Characters trapped into doing what they believe they have to do.

For more in the Great Scenes series, go here.