10 Ambiguous Movie Endings That Had Ridiculously Simple Solutions
8. In Bruges
The Ambiguous Ending: Did Ray die?
I will never go to Bruges. Or to use its full name, F**king-Bruges. Such is the cultural impact of Martin McDonaghs breakthrough film, that the picturesque Belgian town has been ruined more than a scenery altering motorway. The films ending is a perfect culmination of every element of the plot, bringing together seemingly unrelated points in hilariously brilliant fashion. But once all the actions been had, theres one overriding question on our lips. Colin Farrels child like assassin has been the emotional heart of the film and its his fate thats left up in the air; the final scene being a POV of Ray in an ambulance could go either way.
The Simple Solution: The script answers it.
The film gives no pushing either way. We cut to the credits before we can get enough proof for either argument. But you dont have to go too far from the source to find an answer. The shooting script had an extra scene after what is now the films end. Zooming out from a newspaper clipping on the shootout, we see Ray alive but far from well back home in London. Not just removing ambiguity, the scene adds an extra layer of bleakness to the film; Harry's bullet didn't kill Ray, but in the last moments of the story his own does. The extra scene isn't overall required for the plot (aside from giving closure to the Ray-Chloe relationship) and you can see why McDonagh went with the less definite solution.