Review of Only God Forgives (2013) by William H — 24 Oct 2013

Cruel and distant. Its style makes it hard to watch, because it's very hard to identify with the characters. They're floating in a dreamlike world, going from one ultraviolent event to the next. Sometimes it's hard to know for sure if what you see is real, a premonition or a dream. Still, the avenging angel is perfectly cast, and it's a long time since I've seen a character in an action movie that possessed so much natural power and danger. The other characters are sketchy. Kristin Scott Thomas is convincing, Ryan Gosling however is unable to infuse his poorly scripted character with some much needed spirit.

Apart from the avenging angel, the highlights are some of the Thai bad guys, with their used faces and Buddhist resilience.