Rated
R (Strong Bloody Violence including Grisly Images, Sexual Content and Language)
Running
Time: 1 Hour & 30 Minutes
Cast-
Ryan
Gosling-Julian Thompson
Kristin
Scott Thomas-Crystal Thompson
Vithaya
Pansringarm-Lieutenant Chang
Yayaying
Rhatha Phongam-Mai
Tom
Burke-Billy Thompson
Gordon
Brown-Gordon
Byron
Gibson-Byron
Sahajak
Boonthanakit-Kim
Charlie
Ruedpokanon-Daeng
Kovit
Wattanakul-Choi Yan Lee
Directed
by Nicolas Winding Refn
 |
| Ryan Gosling stars as Julian in Nicholas Winding Refn's divisive film, "Only God Forgives." |
Note: Viewed through Video on Demand. In English and Thai with English subtitles. Review may contain spoilers.
Nicolas
Winding Refn's "Drive" was one of the most critically-acclaimed films
of 2011 (93% on Rotten Tomatoes) but it was sadly overlooked during the 84th Academy
Awards, where the only nomination it received was for Best Sound Editing. Audiences,
however, hated the film, with one moviegoer in Michigan going so far as to sue distributor
FilmDistrict and theater company Emagine Novi for false advertising and alleged
anti-Semitism. Apparently, she thought it would be like "The Fast and the
Furious" series. If there was any evidence that stupidity knows no bounds,
this would be it. I finally sat down to watch "Drive" recently and I
have to say that I was completely blown away. The performances, the music, the
cinematography, the slow-burn atmosphere…all of it clicked together so perfectly. Now Refn is reuniting with
actor Ryan Gosling for "Only God Forgives," which debuted at the Cannes
Film Festival back in May to largely mixed reviews, with many journalists booing
the film. This polarized reaction actually made me want to see it even more and
it quickly became one of my most anticipated films of the summer. After all, Terrence
Malick's "The Tree of Life" was booed at Cannes and it turned out to be
one of the best films of 2011. Now in limited release and also available on
VOD, "Only God Forgives" is a stylish, hypnotic, violently depraved
crime thriller that explores the darkest recesses of the human soul and emerges
as one of 2013's most daring pieces of cinema, a true masterpiece that will hopefully
get its proper due in the years to come.
Julian
Thompson (Ryan Gosling) is an American expatriate living in Bangkok, Thailand
with his older brother Billy (Tom Burke), where the two run a Muay Thai boxing
club, which is actually a front for a massive drug smuggling operation. When
Billy brutally rapes and murders a sixteen-year-old girl, plainclothes police
officer Lieutenant Chang (Vithaya Pansringarm) has the father of the girl beat
Billy to death as a form of retribution. Julian initially attempts to avenge
his brother's death but he lets the father go upon learning what Billy did. Crystal
(Kristin Scott Thomas), Billy and Julian's foul-mouthed mother, flies into Bangkok
to collect her eldest son's body and demands Julian to go after the people responsible
for Billy's death. This puts Julian on a collision course with Chang—the 'Angel
of Vengeance.'
"Only
God Forgives" is one of those films that pretty much require a second (or
third) viewing in order to fully grasp its meaning. While it shares some similarities
with "Drive" with its near-mute protagonist and minimalist narrative,
Refn's latest is much more abstract, with the picture seemingly existing in a
nightmarish dream world where the characters are trapped in a Hell of their own
making. The blaring horns of Cliff Martinez's score during the opening credits
(which are displayed in Thai) evoke the tone of a horror film. Boiled down in
simplest terms, "Only God Forgives" is an Oedipal revenge thriller dressed
up as an Old Testament parable of sin and punishment. When Lieutenant Chang, standing
in as the vengeful 'God' of the story with his priest-like attire, comes upon
the bloodied body of the sixteen-year-old girl that Billy had just raped and murdered,
he willingly allows the girl's father to avenge her death. The father proceeds
to bash Billy's face with his bare hands until there's nothing left but brain matter.
However, that's not the end of it. For forcing his daughter into a life of prostitution,
Chang slices off the father's right arm with his sword, which the officer hides
just underneath his clothes. In the film, everyone must atone for their sins,
no matter how small.
No
explanation is given as to why Lieutenant Chang does what he does, with the unassuming
officer spending his nights singing cheesy karaoke songs about unrequited love.
He and Julian are pitted against each other in a game of cat-and-mouse when Crystal
demands that the score be settled with Billy's killers. There are incestuous
overtones to Crystal and Julian's relationship; her expression is that of someone
who hasn't seen their lover in a long time when the two finally reunite. After
verbally berating her son for not being 'man enough' to handle the situation,
she says that she'll take care of it and then lightly brushes her finger on Julian's
arm. Julian doesn't encounter Chang until thirty minutes in but there are
moments where he experiences surreal visions of the officer slowly stalking
him, a sign of his guilt weighing heavily on his conscious. Refn's camera often
focuses on Julian's arms and his slowly unclenching hands. In the beginning of
the film, Chang slices off the father's right arm because he is indirectly responsible
for his own daughter's death by letting her sell her body on the street. His
'inaction' as a father led to his daughter's murder. The end of "Only God
Forgives" finds Chang about to slice off both of Julian's arms while
they're standing in an empty field. Refn suggests that violence breeds more
violence because people don't do enough to stop it due to their inaction. Trapped
between two opposing forces, the only action left for Julian to take is to accept
his punishment, which also happens to be his salvation or 'forgiveness.' Both
his arms are covered in his mother's blood (how this happens you'll have to learn
for yourself) and by losing them, he 'severs' his ties to Crystal, the 'Devil'
of the film.
To
go along with the picture's extensive use of symbolism, Refn drenches
"Only God Forgives" in an oppressive atmosphere populated by garish neon
colors. Much of the action is set in narrow hallways, with the perspective of
the camera lending the film a feeling of claustrophobia. The pacing is best described
as glacial, with events taking their time to unfold and left to linger. Despite
the horrible people inhabiting it, the film is a beautiful sight to behold thanks
to the slick production design from Beth Mickle and the mesmerizing cinematography
of Larry Smith. This beauty is contrasted with the extreme violence on display.
One unsettling scene finds Chang torturing the man who ordered the hit on him by
stabbing him in the arms, thighs, eyes, and ears. It'll definitely make you squirm
in your seat. Perhaps the most memorable aspect of the film is Cliff Martinez's
synth-heavy score. It perfectly complements the picture and reinforces it as an
operatic mood piece where the story isn't so much conveyed through dialogue but
rather its visuals and music.
Since
"Only God Forgives" relies so much on its style to tell its story,
the performances in the film are largely treated as an afterthought. With a grand
total of seventeen lines of dialogue, Ryan Gosling's Julian is even more stoic
compared to the Driver, although this time he has a name at least. The character
is a blank slate that's left wide open for interpretation but it's clear he suffers
from a guilty conscience. Likewise, Vithaya Pansringarm says very little yet
the actor manages to exude a quiet menace despite his harmless appearance. Leaving
the biggest impression is British-French actress Kristin Scott Thomas, who plays
Julian's Medusa of a mother. With her heavy make-up and bleached blonde hair, Thomas'
Crystal overshadows all the other characters with her acidic tongue and displays
a love-hate relationship with her son. One minute she's tearing down Julian for
having a 'small cock' and the next she's literally begging him to protect her
from Chang. What makes Thomas' performance so brilliant is that the character
is fully aware of her appalling behavior but she's unable to help herself.
Finally, there's pop singer Yayaying Rhatha Phongam as Mai, a prostitute that
Julian seems particularly fond of.
Debuting
on July 19, 2013 with a limited theatrical release as well as on VOD,
"Only God Forgives" has received mainly negative reviews with only 34%
on Rotten Tomatoes. Critics noted that 'Refn remains as visually stylish as
ever, but [the film] fails to add enough narrative smarts or relatable characters
to ground its beautifully filmed depravity.' I'm sorry but I just don't agree
with that sentiment. The reason I love this film is because it's challenging;
it's not safe like all the other cookie-cutter fare that Hollywood typically
releases. That being said, I do admit that you have to be in a special
frame-of-mind before you sit down and watch Refn's hellish vision of humanity's
darkest impulses. It's easy to make a snap judgment and dismiss "Only God
Forgives" as 'terrible' but a film this bizarre has to be savored. I know
I'm courting controversy with my opinion but f*ck it, this is one of the best
films of 2013 and I highly urge people to go see it, regardless of whether you
end up hating it or not.
Final
Rating: 5 out of 5
"Let
me tell you, if the tables were turned, your brother would have found your
killer and brought me his head on a f*cking platter! And you just sit there
thinking he got what he deserved! F*ck you."
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