Ah, Bruges, what’s a Bruges? It’s actually a town in Belgium and it is pronounced “Broozh.” It is also one of the best preserved medieval towns in all of Europe. Depending on who you are its either heaven or hell. For the characters in the new film “In Bruges,” it can be both.

The film begins with two hit men checking into a small hotel in the titular town. Their objective? To lay low for a week or two while the heat blows over from Ray’s first hit, which had some shocking consequences. Ray is played by Colin Farrell. His friend Ken is played by Brendan Gleeson who is probably best known for his role as “Mad Eye” Moody in the last two Harry Potter movies. Ken is a seasoned hit man who is acting as a mentor for Ray. Both work for a mobster by the name of Harry who is played by Oscar nominee Ralph Fiennes.

Once there, Ray meets a pretty girl, Clemence Poesy, who is selling drugs to a midget on a movie set. If that sounds odd, it kind of is. But it makes for some hilarious observations by Ray, who is funny throughout the whole movie, even when things turn grim and violent.

Colin Farrell delivers a hilarious and crazed performance. His Ray is not afraid to say what is on his mind and he doesn’t worry about what people will think when he says anything. The Irish brogue only enhances the witty observations and retorts and his crazy eyes give his wild exclamations an irreproducible quality. He is also very twitchy, like an antsy kid that can never sit still. Something tells me Colin Farrell is like that in real life.

Brendan Gleeson is less witty, though he still gets a few laughs. His Ken is a nice, almost fatherly figure to Ray despite his constant f-bombs. His kind face really makes it almost hard to see him as a hit man.

Fiennes, who isn’t physically seen in the movie until about halfway through, turns in another outstanding performance. As the mob boss Harry, Fiennes is angry, sarcastic and unforgiving. But he too has a sense of humor, however sadistic it may be. It’s certainly fun to see him tear apart people verbally, which he does a couple times.

One of the reasons for the brilliance of the film is writer/director Martin McDonagh. This is his first feature film and it’s very impressive that he was able to deliver so well with so little experience. His only other credit under either job title on imdb.com is “Six Shooter,” which is a short film that won him an Oscar in 2006. It will be interesting to see what he has planned next.

His direction is paced well. The movie never seems to go too quickly, but it never feels like it’s taking too long either. I was hungry at the beginning because I hadn’t had dinner, but I totally forgot about it after around 20 minutes. You won’t be sitting there wondering when the movie is going to end.

The direction is great, but the writing is fantastic. Without McDonagh’s script none of the three stars would have been as funny as they are. His script is also well balanced. There are hilarious things being said, a lot of them politically incorrect, like when Ray tells a trio of fat tourists that they won’t fit on the narrow staircase of a bell tower. It shouldn’t be funny, but I laughed a lot as the big man waddled after the agile Ray and couldn’t catch him.

But there are also some very sad and dark happenings in the movie. People die and there is a big weight felt. The fascinating thing about this movie though is its ability to make you laugh just 30 seconds later. There are several instances where the characters lighten the mood by bringing up a past joke or by seriously discussing how one will allow the other to try and kill him.

This is by far the best film I’ve seen this year. Granted, it is only February and there isn’t much anyways. But it is a gem in a mine cart full of coal.

“In Bruges” opens today in a limited release.