There is something about the mix of dark themes and comedy that can be so compelling when done properly. In Bruges is a perfect example of a movie pulling off those conflicting tones in the story of two Irish hitmen, played by Colin Farrell and Brendan Gleeson, who have to hide out in Bruges, Belgium after a job goes wrong.
The movie helped start writer-director Martin McDonagh’s career in feature films and gave its two stars the opportunity to be funny. In Bruges can make you laugh out loud one moment, then shock you the next. It’s a hard tone to get right, but there are other films that have also managed to pull it off. Here are some violent dark comedies to watch if you like In Bruges.
Seven Psychopaths (2012)
Martin McDonagh followed up his feature debut with an even stranger yet amazing dark comedy, Seven Psychopaths. Colin Farrell teams with McDonagh again, playing a writer working on his latest screenplay. His creative pursuits are interrupted when his two friends (Sam Rockwell and Christopher Walker) kidnap the beloved pet dog of a dangerous gangster (Woody Harrelson).
Once again, McDonagh packs his film with hilarious jokes that will have you laughing at the most inappropriate things. The movie also showcases some brutal violence while commenting on the depiction of violence in films in a clever way.
Kiss Kiss Bang Bang (2005)
Shane Black’s dark sense of humor became a breath of fresh air in the ’90s when he was one of the hottest writers of action films. When Black decided to also take on directing duties, he made this hilarious, bloody and thrilling mystery noir.
Robert Downey Jr. plays a thief who accidentally gets welcomed into the world of the Hollywood elite where he joins forces with a detective (Val Kilmer) to solve a murder. Black subverts so many genre tropes to amazing effect and the two stars make a hysterically mismatched team in this twisty tale of intrigue.
Smokin’ Aces (2006)
Dark comedies are often seen in smaller-scale stories, but Smokin’ Aces takes the genre to some wild extremes. The ensemble film centers around a casino magician turned crime figure who becomes the target of cops, hitmen and bounty hunters who all simultaneously converge on his swanky hotel.
The movie is packed with an all-star cast including Ryan Reynolds, Ben Affleck, and Chris Pine among many others playing colorful and violent characters. The over-the-top nature of the film is a lot of fun and it builds to an epic and bloody finale.
The Matador (2005)
There is something about hitmen as characters that work so well in dark comedies like The Matador. The film stars Greg Kinnear as an unlucky working man who, while on a business trip to Mexico, meets an eccentric assassin (Pierce Brosnan). This brief encounter bonds the two in ways neither were expecting.
Brosnan rarely gets a chance to be funny, and he proves he should do more films like this. He makes for an unusual hired killer in the midst of a breakdown who has no social boundaries to speak of whatsoever. It’s a great character at the center of a quirky killer comedy.
RocknRolla (2008)
Guy Ritchie’s filmmaking career started with those small British crime comedies before he went on to make some of the biggest films in Hollywood. However, he occasionally goes back to his roots, like with the entertaining ensemble RocknRolla.
The film follows various low-level criminals, mob bosses and rock stars who finds their worlds clashing over a priceless missing painting. The stacked cast includes Gerard Butler, Idris Elba and Tom Hardy among many others. It’s a stylish, funny and brutal ride that plays to Ritchie’s strengths.
Burn After Reading (2008)
The Coen Brothers have seemingly perfected the dark comedy genre with countless of their films jumping between moments of shocking violence and big laughs from their unusual characters. Though many of their films could fit on this list, Burn After Reading is an underrated gem that hits that tone perfectly.
George Clooney, Brad Pitt John Malkovich and other great actors star in this oddball film about the violent fallout that comes from a misunderstanding over leaked government documents. The characters are hilarious, the violence comes out of nowhere ,and the whole thing turns into an insane conspiracy.
Pulp Fiction (1994)
Tarantino is another filmmaker who loves to make his audiences laugh at graphic moments of violence. Pulp Fiction, his second feature, was really the film that cemented his status as a brilliant new voice that was willing to push the envelop and blur the lines between genres.
The energetic and thrilling look at various characters that exist in Los Angeles’ criminal underbelly features unforgettable sequences that can make you squirm and have you laughing at some really gruesome stuff.
Killer Joe (2011)
Based on the play of the same name by Tracy Letts, Killer Joe leans more into its darkness than any other film on this list. Matthew McConaughey stars as a corrupt cop and contract killer who is hired by a young man to kill his mother for the inheritance money. However, bringing this man into his family’s life proves to have deadly consequences.
McConaughey is terrifying and compelling in the lead role and sets the tone for the movie. The humor is set in this dark and grim world, and while some viewers might have a hard time with the tonal shifts, but it is certainly a memorable film.
Grosse Pointe Blank (1997)
Grosse Pointe Blank is another hitman comedy that stars John Cusack as an assassin who is going through an existential crisis. He accepts a new job that takes him back to his old hometown where his ten-year high school reunion is taking place. There he reunites with old friends while avoiding getting killed by a rival assassin.
The mundane look at someone who kills people for a living is an interesting idea that is pulled off wonderfully in this film. Cusack is a great lead, handling the action just as well as the comedy, while the reunion aspect creates a whole other fascinating level to the story.
The Guard (2011)
The Guard is an Irish comedy that comes from John Michael McDonagh, the brother of Martin McDonagh. This film shows the talented brothers certainly share a distinct sense of humor. The film stars Brendan Gleeson as a policeman who is very reluctantly pulled into an international drug smuggling operation.
Gleeson is wonderful as the lazy cop with more than a few vices, while Liam Cunningham and Mark Strong add some more fun as the laid-back villains of the story. It’s a charming and hilarious little film that also boasts some great action scenes.
