Irish hitmen Ray and Ken (Colin Farrell and Brendan Gleeson) are sent to Bruges in this black comedy they should have called Low Countries for Old Men.

Martin McDonagh’s 2008 debut mixes Tarantino-style gangsterism with Irish existentialism, a combination that proves as salty and satisfying as chips with mayonnaise. McDonagh’s playwright background gives the killers-out-of-context idea more depth than Tarantino ever could, with irony and pathos running through the film like the city’s historic canals. And as an advert for Bruges at Christmas time it works a treat, despite Farrell’s less than glowing reaction to the ‘Venice of the North’ – which makes this the Don’t Look Now of places that have cars.

The medieval city is the perfect setting for the movie’s purgatorial fairytale and its clash between different nationalities and heights, realised through a handful of great characters. It has witty and soulful performances from Gleeson and Farrell, who makes Ray oddly loveable in spite of his violence and xenophobia. This is the film that rerouted Farrell’s career from the action hero that Hollywood tried and failed to make him, onto his rightful path as a sweary Father Dougal. Ralph Fiennes is also hilariously cast against type as a foul-mouthed gangster, only arriving halfway through but making a bigger impact on Bruges than two World Wars.

Thanks to its towering locations, script and performances, this unbelievably funny film has a serious claim to being the greatest Christmas flick of all time, and the darkest comedy about sightseers until the movie Sightseers.