Review of Only God Forgives (2013) by Michael S — 27 Nov 2013

11-27-2013.

Nicolas Winding Refn's "Only God Forgives" is a stylish film like Drive, but a poorly made oddball unlike Drive. The reason that being is they both are stylish, have low dialogue, and violence, Drive was a mainstream, Only God Forgives doesn't have narrative smarts.

The film was shot in Bangkok, a figure in the criminal underworld, Julian (Ryan Gosling) runs a boxing club and smuggling ring with his brother Billy (Tom Burke). Billy is murdered and their crime lord matriarch, Crystal (Kristin Scott Thomas) arrives to take the body. Julian is forced to take revenge on his brother's killers.

"Only God Forgives" resembles more on violence, but all the fighting, showdowns, and action just feels fake and looks boring. "Only God Forgives" is like annoying friend that seems to never go away or leave you alone. If you liked Drive, you're not going to find the same excitement here in this crap, I'm sorry not disrespecting the lord, this movie you were hoping something good from Nicolas Winding Refn after Drive or hoping for something similar of it. Ryan Gosling hasn't impressed me this year, his previous film earlier this year "Place Beyond the Pines" to me was okay, while this cinema was annoying.

Ryan Gosling's and Nicolas Winding Refn's "Only God Forgives" looked like a piece of stylish beauty that we got from Refn a couple of years ago, but this film as it goes on, it ends up being a piece of fartistic art.