I'm a bit late in seeing this, and I noticed that a majority of the institute seems to be in love with it (for good reason).
First of all, I'd like to point out that the movie I watched was not at all the movie which is advertised in all of the trailers for it. Trailers such as this one: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KoE9edjEDCI along with most others for it create the illusion that it's a comedy first, with maybe a bit of action. Colin Farrell is found karate chopping a midget, "ohohoho how hysterical is that," I say to myself. "Let me check this out for a giggle or two."
The giggle or two comes at a price, though, being that the movie itself is tremendously dark. It IS humorous, but essentially it's a tragedy. It's unashamedly politically incorrect, but it does so indiscriminately. The central characters are really reprehensible in their actions & views and hardly distinguishable from the 'bad guys'. Wow - just like in real life.
The movie itself is gorgeous in presentation. Almost every shot is done flawlessly. The characters, Ray (Farrell) and Ken (Gleeson), are both well written and well acted. The depth to the both of them really shows through, as Farrell manages to pull off a selfish brat, a suicidal depressive, and a charming romantic, and make me sympathetic towards each one.
I won't spoil the ending, but I feel that, no matter how over-the-top it was, it was very appropriate. Not only that, but it was totally ambiguous; something I would normally feel annoyed at. In this case, however, it fits perfectly. A happy ending would be out of the question with this story, but I don't think anyone would have supported a sad one.
Opinions, FI?
