Carter Burwell

Director Martin McDonagh's In Bruges fits into the subgenre of British action/crime movies with comic elements pioneered by Guy Ritchie (e.g., Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels, Snatch). This time, two hitmen, played by Colin Farrell and Brendan Gleeson, hide out in the historic Belgian city of the title waiting for their boss, played by Ralph Fiennes, with violent and humorous results. Composer Carter Burwell contrasts the plot with his minor-key, piano-based score played by a chamber orchestra of only a dozen or so pieces. For the most part, this is delicate, contemplative music, occasionally augmented by a folk or Celtic song. Burwell abruptly turns to rock with the electric guitar and pounding drums of cues appropriately called "Shootout, Pt. 1" and "Shootout, Pt. 2," but those are exceptions in a lovely, imaginative score that gives greater complexity to the mood of the film. ~ William Ruhlmann, All Music Guide