Just over ten years ago, British director Martin McDonagh made his debut with a film that helped put a certain Belgian town on the map. Sure, it already existed on said map, but its ‘fairytale’ feel was captured so beautifully by McDonagh, that despite the violence, it had the Bruges Tourist Board rubbing their hands in glee, and feeling whatever the Flemish word for ‘cock-a-hoop’ is.

With the release of this limited edition Blu-ray, with some nice extras including the Faber and Faber screenplay and the director’s Oscar-winning short film in HD, it’s time for a return to its cobbled streets, gothic architecture and holidaying hitmen.

After a job that didn’t exactly go to plan, Ray (Colin Farrell) and Ken (Brendan Gleeson) have been sent to the picturesque town of Bruges in Belgium. For Ken, it’s a welcome break, with plenty to do and see. For Ray, he’s far from enamoured by its oldy worldy charms. He’s not impressed by the fact that they may have to stay a couple of weeks there either, waiting as they are for word from their boss Harry (Ralph Fiennes) in London.

Ray does manage to find a distraction however, by way of local Chloe (Clémence Poésy), which is just as well, because when Harry does finally get a message through to them, his orders are highly likely to put a damper on their little European break.

It’s unclear as to whether Belgium is a big wine-making country, it’s probably more well-known for producing relatively weak beer, but if it did, In Bruges, would be akin to a fine bottle of vino that only gets better with age.

It’s as much a buddy flick as it is about two criminals on the run, as McDonagh, who also wrote the script, playfully examines the relationship between two generations with two things in common: being Irish and sharing a murderous occupation. And it’s this onscreen chemistry between Farrell and Gleeson that acts as the glue, holding this sharply funny piece together.

It’s no surprise that McDonagh not only went on to write and direct the original follow up Seven Psychopaths in 2012, but also 2017’s Oscar-winning Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri. His only major crime is that he’s not the most productive of creative types, but then quality does trump quantity.

It’s unclear whether or not the city of Bruges has changed much in the interim, but McDonagh’s debut remains a modern classic, full of wit, charm and the odd alcove, making it a destination definitely worth re-visiting, as it’s never looked better.