Only God Forgives

2013 • 89 minutes

About this movie

Ryan Gosling and director Nicolas Winding Refn (DRIVE) are back with this visionary Bangkok-set thriller. Kingpin Julian (Gosling) avenges his brother's killer, while a mysterious, unhinged policeman follows his every move.

Ratings and reviews

This movie was very engaging in its metaphoric use of colors strong reds and blue hues even yellow.. Each portraying a message pertaining to the moods and theme in that moment. Just like (Drive) the director loves to impact you with strong memorable graphic violence.. I still remember Ryan Gosling's character in (Drive) crushing the guys face in with his foot in the elevator scene. Anyhow, this film is a good ride through an artistic cinematically engaging approach to a revenge movie..

Refn is one of my favorite contemporary directors, and with each film, it is clearer that he is both revisiting themes from earlier films while maturing in his presentation. He's intensely visual, much like Lynch, and I have heard that he sometimes directs scenes while listening to music and trusting that the actors know how to deliver their lines. You can see clearly the Lynchian inspiration in this film, some parts reminding you of scenes from Twin Peaks. Overlooked though is that it takes us back to an earlier work by Refn, Fear X, in which the protagonist is seeking revenge as well. Like Fear X, OGF finds the protagonist also confusing reality, dreaming, and fantasy in such a way that we viewers sometimes cannot tell the difference either. Infusing the story with an Oedipus underpinning and Chang functioning in a quasi-priestly role, Refn masterfully explores the senselessness of good, evil, (perverse desire for) love, and justice (without mercy), ending as frustratingly as Fear X. Only God Forgives...and none of these characters is God. It's no coincidence therefore that none of the characters forgive or are forgiven.

I loved this movie, but I can understand how many would not. Everything eccentric about Drive was even more so in this film, so if you did not enjoy Drive, I don't think you will like this one. That being said, the visual style and filmography are both incredibly strong, as is the music. Kristen Scott Thomas and Ryan Gosling both had outstanding performances and an interesting chemistry with each other. If you expect fast-paced action or straightforward linear storytelling, you will be disappointed, but if you want to be awed by a beautiful visual direction, deliberate dialogue and strong characters, I think you will very much enjoy this film.