Every once in a while, there comes along a movie I like so much that I have serious issues even figuring out where to begin. It is the kind of movie that I don’t need to make any excuses or conditions to describe. It is an experience that grabs me in so many unique and unexpected ways that to give one reason why I like it would be impossible. And this February, that movie is In Bruges.

As a comedy, In Bruges is above and beyond all the rest. It may be a story about two mismatched hit men set loose in Europe, but believe me, it is nowhere even close to being confused with Rush Hour 3. Its jokes don’t rely on absurd situations to provide their punch lines. They don’t lean on tired stereotypes, overused sexual innuendo, or immature bathroom humor. And even though the movie does have a character that’s “a midget,” get this: the character isn’t just used as token for laughs; he is actually an integral part of the story.

In one word, the script for the movie is brilliant. And with longtime award-winning stage writer/director Martin McDonagh behind it, I guess I shouldn’t be surprised. Every word that comes out of each character’s mouth feels exactly like what would be going through his or her mind. Many times, the fact that the characters don’t just keep those thoughts inside their heads is exactly what provides us with such great laughs. Throw in the reality that three of the characters are hit men, several more thieves, drug dealers, and gun runners, and the rest ordinary people, and the clash of perspectives, viewpoints, and ways of handling things makes it just that much more hilarious.

But even though In Bruges kept me laughing from beginning to end, even though the movie has more quotable lines than I could absorb in one sitting, and even though McDonagh’s smooth directing made for some of the most stylish action sequences I have seen in a long time, the aspect of In Bruges that got me the most was the one I never expected—the remarkably dramatic storyline that ran perfectly under, over, and through every single laugh, line, and scene in the movie.

Honestly, part of me doesn’t want to reveal any of the deeper story that is barely alluded to in the movie’s trailers. Part of its beauty is not knowing it will be there, not expecting its characters to have the dimension they do, and not realizing its story will deal with more than flying bullets and back-to-back punch lines. So to those of you who haven’t seen the movie yet, may I suggest you stop reading now and come back after you have seen it.

But for those of you who have seen the movie, or those who are just too curious, may I just say that In Bruges made me appreciate the truth of grace and redemption more than any other story has in a long time. It made me realize how real the human need for forgiveness is—no matter who we are, what kind moral code we may live by, and what we may have made excuses for in the past. And it opened my eyes to what a truly radical and life changing reality grace can be, especially in a world that so relies on justice and logic as much as we do.

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