Farrell finds himself 'In Bruges'; the best and worst of Sundance films; Sundance scene and celeb sightings

By Gregory Ellwood
MSN Movies

Don't tell Colin Farrell his career is at a crossroads. After being anointed the "next big thing" after his debut in "Tigerland" almost eight years ago, he nabbed a few plum roles in flicks such as "Minority Report" and "Phone Booth," and had a nice hit with 2003's "S.W.A.T." Unfortunately, his party boy behavior became tabloid fodder during a string of box office disappointments, including "Miami Vice" and "Alexander." Farrell recalls, "I just got handed all these opportunities to be the leading actor in all these films. "It just happened so, so quick that it was actually amazing. And I loved it, but there came a time when I had to just personally go, 'Why am I doing it? What does it mean?'"

The 31-year-old actor continues, "I just decided to take stock of what I'd been doing and how I wanted to go [forward] without masterminding [my career] or any of that [expletive]. That's not really something I'm that interested in."

Ironically, if the reception it received as the opening night film of this year's 2008 Sundance Film Festival is any indication, "In Bruges" may provide Farrell both a critical and commercial hit.

The picture finds Farrell playing Ray, a hit man holed up with his partner Ken (a fantastic Brendan Gleeson) in the Belgian city of Bruges after he mistakenly shoots a child during a routine job back in the United Kingdom. Ralph Fiennes plays Harry, the boss who decides that Ray's accident has crossed a moral line and that he must be taken out. Immensely funny, but also pretty damn dark, the film features the sort of charismatic performance that audiences haven't seen from Farrell in years. Unlike "Vice," for example, he actually looks like he's having fun with this acting thing.

Writer/director Martin McDonagh devised his original screenplay after taking a holiday to Bruges, which has been largely untouched since medieval times. Farrell refers to the city as the "first" character cast in the movie and can understand why Ray is so uncomfortable staying there.

"We arrived in the dead of winter. It got dark every day at 4, a bitter cold gnawing at you, and there's also a beautiful majesty to the city -- just jaw dropping," Farrell says. "But there is no people on the street and that's kind of eerie. And that suited me fine. I drew from that environment in a particular way."

Also appearing in Woody Allen's "Cassandra's Dream," which was smartly and quietly dumped by distributor The Weinstein Company this past weekend, he'll also appear opposite Edward Norton in the NYPD drama "Pride and Glory" later this year. Overall, though, he insists on keeping his options open for his next, still uncommitted, project.

"I'm not gonna limit myself to a structure, or box myself in to a particular code of work," Farrell says. "I've done three pieces with three writer/directors over the past year and a half and I've enjoyed them all immensely."

"In Bruges" opens in limited release Feb. 8.

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