Review of Only God Forgives (2013) by Hoops2448 — 26 Aug 2013

Being the follow up to a film that has already acquired cult status is tough and Only God Forgives astounds in how horrendously it misses the mark. When Julian (Ryan Gosling) discovers that his brother has been murdered he finds himself seeking revenge as his mother (Kristin Scott Thomas) arrives in Bangkok to ensure 'justice' is served on the police officer who had her son killed.

It's clear from the start that director Nicholas Wending Refn wanted to get as far away from Drive as he possibly could but the presence of Gosling proves a strong link between the two and therefore it encourages comparison.

Only God Forgives plays like art house cinema and the aesthetics of the film are absolutely beautiful with Refn's obsession with neon giving the film an almost psychedelic feel. Regardless of the beauty of it, the film lacks a lead character with any real personality apart from the one Refn invites us to give him, a method that worked better in Drive when the story and supporting characters helped add detail to the mysterious driver.

In this, Julian is surrounded by nameless goons and a mother so callous you gain little knowledge of who Julian is because the only person she really cares about is herself and what she wants. It's fine acting by Scott Thomas but one good character does not a film make.

The most infuriating thing isn't that Only God Forgives fails to live up to Drive or the fact that its lead character is as hollow and lifeless as a tube of loo roll but that all the characters in it are so repugnant that watching them is unpleasant making Only God Forgives uncomfortable to watch in the first place meaning by the time the end comes around and nothing of substance has happened the film might actually make you angry.