REEL CRITIC:

Two Irish lugs are ordered to lay low in an ancient town in Belgium after doing a contract killing in “In Bruges,” a darkly comic crime story.

Their boss, Harry (Ralph Fiennes), wants them to “blend” in, but we can see right away that will be impossible.

Forced to share a hotel room for two weeks, Ray (Colin Farrell) and Ken (Brendan Gleeson) seem to be an odd couple, more Laurel and Hardy than hardened criminals. They’re not even carrying guns.

Where Ken is quite content to play tourist and read quietly, Ray has instantly decided that Bruges is the worst place in the world. He mopes and shuffles his feet in churches and museums like a bored child. It’s not long before he starts to go medieval on the locals.

There’s a lot of absurd, non-essential dialogue in “In Bruges” that’s reminiscent of Quentin Tarantino’s “Pulp Fiction.” Just when you think that’s all there is to the story, it kicks into overdrive with the onscreen appearance of Harry.

Farrell and Gleeson are enjoyable and play well off each other. Fiennes, in his best Lord Voldemort snarl from the “Harry Potter” movies, is both menacing and an excellent straight man.

“In Bruges” is crude and profane but also poignant, and the mixture of ethics and brutality amid a picturesque backdrop makes for an endearingly quirky story.

SUSANNE PEREZ lives in Costa Mesa and is an executive assistant for a financial services company.