Only God Forgives

**
Release Date: August 2nd 2013

Julian, a drug-smuggler thriving in Bangkok's criminal underworld, sees his life get even more complicated when his mother compels him to find and kill whoever is responsible for his brother's recent death.

Director: Nicolas Winding Refn (Drive, Valhalla Rising, Bronson)

Starring: Ryan Gosling, Kristin Scott Thomas, Vithaya Pansringarm

Nicolas Winding Refn and Ryan Gosling's previous collaboration was so impressive and unique (Drive) that this effort had high expectations. I wanted to love this film so much but couldn't. Because of this, it's difficult not to compare to 2011's Drive.

To start with, the story is plain and simple, and it needs to be in order to understand what's taking place around it. The story could have been told in half the screen time. The rest is filled with fixated staring with little to no dialogue. Robert McKee once said that 'action is always more important than dialogue', but in order for this to happen, there needs to be at least some action.

Some may say that Only God Forgives is avant-garde (work that is experimental and innovative) and appreciate it for its artistic values, others, like myself, will be baffled. 

Gosling takes a back seat this time round. Where in Drive he was the sole focus, now he shares the stage with two other characters who dominate every scene they're in. One being Crystal (Kristin Scott Thomas), the egocentric, deranged mother of Julian (Gosling). It's hard to take in how incomprehensible she is; the love for her son that was murdered goes above and beyond the in-denial. "Why?" she asks Julian. "He raped and killed a 16-year old girl" he replies. "Well I'm sure he had his reasons" she says.

At least two or three times the film is broken up by random pieces of karaoke. This might be to signify how much it's loved in Thailand, or that deep down it's second oppressive character, Chang (Pansringarm) is a lovable, down to earth person, underneath his cold, unforgiving ways. Chang is the bad-ass policeman who's responsible for the death of Julian's brother. There are plenty of scenes that show he's not a person to mess with. His expressions never change, even after torturing another human being. 

One thing that goes without saying is the film is beautifully shot. Dazzling lights flash and whizz past, coupled with low key lighting in rooms that give us a sense of woe and suffering. The back streets of Bangkok have never looked so alive. It's music is also incredibly powerful, fitting into moments when least expected. Some pieces of the music are comparable to Philip Glass' Koyannisqatsi.

Overview: You're either going to love it or hate it. Performances are great. Let down by it's tedious lack of action and dialogue.