2012 - 90 minutes - Crime/Drama/Thriller
Director: Nicolas Winding Refn
Country: Thailand
IMDB: 5.9
Metacritic: 37
RT: 40%
EpicEnthusiast's Rating: 8/10
Watch this movie if you enjoy:
Director: Nicolas Winding Refn Country: Thailand
IMDB: 5.9
Metacritic: 37
RT: 40%
EpicEnthusiast's Rating: 8/10
Watch this movie if you enjoy:
- stylistic/artsy films
- films in foreign countries
- unique styles/cinematography
- Ryan Gosling
Avoid this movie if you dislike:
- graphic violence/blood
- Thai language
- slow pacing
- seriously though: graphic violence/blood
Before I begin, I'd like to note the very low scores above. They're certainly the lowest either one of us have ever reviewed, but they're slightly misleading. Only God Forgives is very much a film that you either love or hate. The IMDB score obviously reflects a lot of hateful reviews, but a lot of those users gave it a 1/10, which is simply unfair. You don't have to enjoy the film, but to say it doesn't possess any quality whatsoever is ignorant. A lot of the critics definitely didn't enjoy it, but five of them on Metacritic gave it a positive score. Also, for the 19 negative reviews, there are 14 neutral or yellow-coated reviews, potentially indicating that some quality was recognized, but still overshadowed by the film's content. I'll touch on this content below, as I think it also plays a role in the low scores.
From the moment I saw the trailer for Only God Forgives, my expectations were sky high. I'm a huge Ryan Gosling fan, and I absolutely adore Drive, the first film he made with director Nicolas Winding Refn. Although I gave their second go-round an 8/10, I'd be lying if I said my expectations were completely met. But they almost were. For this review, I'm going to point out the main points of criticism the film has gotten, and then provide my take on them.
The story revolves around Julian (Ryan Gosling), who is an American drug-smuggler operating out of a boxing club in Bangkok. His brother is along side him in the business, and when he is killed, "The Devil" (Vithaya Pansringarm as Chang) is summoned, and the violent revenge game begins.
It's hard to watch: Yup. Even as a big crime genre fan, I'll be the first one to tell you that Only God Forgives is very tough to watch at certain points. Nicholas Winding Refn is known for heavy violence in his films, and although Drive is the only other one of his I've seen, I'll say that it was tame compared to this. There's blood, gunshots, stabbings, amputated limbs, lacerations, gauging, beatings and more. Even actress Kristen Scott Thomas (who plays Julian's mother Crystal) came out and said it was hard for her to watch. It's a brutal story and borderline disturbing, but it all served a purpose, and should not define the film in a negative way.
The question becomes: is the violence necessary? And I would say to tell this type of story, yes it is. The setting is the crime underworld of Bangkok, which like any large crime-filled city, is certainly no stranger to violence. Not only that, but violence in Thailand is very different from the violence we're used to seeing in Hollywood. It consists of mostly gun violence, which is featured a bit in Only God Frogives, but is second to sword violence. Chang, the perpetrator of a lot of the brutality, is a retired cop who essentially still practices out in the city. He's from Thailand of course, and is a master fighter with both the sword and his fists. His development is very well done, and Refn makes it clear that his violence is simply part of his outlook; part of his culture. This doesn't make his actions any easier to watch, but it explains why they're there.
It looks good, but that's about it: I can't emphasize the former enough. Only God Forgives is an absolutely beautiful film. Refn and cinematographer Larry Smith use a combination of vibrant lighting and masterful cinematography to give us a very clear picture of Bangkok's inner city. They take us through lavish nightclubs and dark alleyways with a certain stability and fluidity that makes it very pleasing to watch (despite the gory content).
I think a lot of the latter criticism comes from a few aspects of the movie. One deals with that cinematography, and Refn's style overall. I get the impression that a lot of critics felt like it was overdone, or just artsy for the sake of being artsy, without any real purpose. As I'll explain in the next section, I didn't have any trouble recognizing the purpose, and I think the eurocentric style meshed well with the story's setting. I'll also touch on the characters, who I think had a lot of viewers wanting more.
It's boring: While I can understand where this popular criticism comes from, I must say I wholeheartedly disagree. I think some viewers being bored has a lot to do with the characters. Similar to his role in Drive, Ryan Gosling plays a very stoic character that doesn't speak a whole lot. In fact, he only says 22 lines in the film. But also similar to Drive, is the reasoning behind it. Julian is one of a few Americans in the Bangkok drug district, and from the very beginning of the film, we get the impression that he calmly watches from afar as people fight in his boxing club, and drugs move in and out. There's not much interaction until his brother his killed, and he plays the role of content leader. Even more so than his background though, is is mother. As soon as she comes into the picture, that stoic persona is taken to a different level. It's important to note Kristen Scott Thomas's acting here, because she plays an overbearing, convincing, and powerful mother figure perfectly. She freezes Julian, and has him in total control. Their relationship is very unique, but drives the film in a lot of ways. Most of the scenes with the two of them are there for development purposes, and show precisely why Julian is the way he is. Chang is also very quiet throughout the movie, but then again he's a cold-blooded killer. Refn's characters and their dialogue (or lack there of) are carefully depicted, and very well developed, but to some, it may have come off as boring.
Next is the pace of the film, which is quite slow. I imagine it was a long 90 minutes for some viewers, as many scenes moved about in a very methodical way. Along with his character development, I saw Refn's pacing as totally intentional. His goal was to put emphasis on those characters and implant their actions into our heads. Part of what makes Only God Forgives so hard to watch is the amount of time spent on certain images. They're wince worthy and piercing, but it's about conveying a message, and showing us how his characters react under those types of circumstances. I feel like a lot of people expected fast paced sword battles or bloody gang fights, but that type of violence wasn't relevant to the story. Not all revenge plots should be about relentlessly trying to kill someone else. They should include include thinking and logic. The slow pacing of the film serves as a developer, and emphasis placer.
That leads right into our last boredom-related point: nothing happened. As I'm sure I've made clear, plenty happened in Only God Forgives, but not much in terms of action. Was it boring because an arm wasn't chopped of every five minutes? The climatic events of the film we're plenty for me, and I think they were made more impactful and suspenseful by the buildup in between. Perhaps I'm more patient than most moviegoers, but I was surprised at how many critics mentioned boredom in their reviews. I'd expect more seeing as they watch films for a living, and a lot of them being over two hours long. This is only 90 minutes, and I was certainly compelled for all of it.
The last note I'd like to make deals with budget. At a mere $4.8 million, the movie was produced for over $10 million less than Drive, and it looks even better. I'm sure filming in Bangkok had a bit to do with it, but to make a gorgeous movie with exquisite cinematography, special lighting, AND another fantastic soundtrack for under $5 million? Really impressive.
To end my ranting, Only God Forgives is simply a misunderstood film. It's masterfully crafted, visually stunning, and thoroughly gripping. Its characters are unique, and very well developed, and everything from the Bangkok landscape to the contemporary soundtrack will engross you. If you're patient and can handle the violence, I definitely recommend checking it out.
-EE
After watching the film, I realized this trailer was a bit misleading, but it's still awesome:
It's hard to watch: Yup. Even as a big crime genre fan, I'll be the first one to tell you that Only God Forgives is very tough to watch at certain points. Nicholas Winding Refn is known for heavy violence in his films, and although Drive is the only other one of his I've seen, I'll say that it was tame compared to this. There's blood, gunshots, stabbings, amputated limbs, lacerations, gauging, beatings and more. Even actress Kristen Scott Thomas (who plays Julian's mother Crystal) came out and said it was hard for her to watch. It's a brutal story and borderline disturbing, but it all served a purpose, and should not define the film in a negative way.
The question becomes: is the violence necessary? And I would say to tell this type of story, yes it is. The setting is the crime underworld of Bangkok, which like any large crime-filled city, is certainly no stranger to violence. Not only that, but violence in Thailand is very different from the violence we're used to seeing in Hollywood. It consists of mostly gun violence, which is featured a bit in Only God Frogives, but is second to sword violence. Chang, the perpetrator of a lot of the brutality, is a retired cop who essentially still practices out in the city. He's from Thailand of course, and is a master fighter with both the sword and his fists. His development is very well done, and Refn makes it clear that his violence is simply part of his outlook; part of his culture. This doesn't make his actions any easier to watch, but it explains why they're there.
 |
| Vithaya Pansringarm and Kristen Scott Thomas in Only God Forgives |
I think a lot of the latter criticism comes from a few aspects of the movie. One deals with that cinematography, and Refn's style overall. I get the impression that a lot of critics felt like it was overdone, or just artsy for the sake of being artsy, without any real purpose. As I'll explain in the next section, I didn't have any trouble recognizing the purpose, and I think the eurocentric style meshed well with the story's setting. I'll also touch on the characters, who I think had a lot of viewers wanting more.
 |
| Some of the unique lighting in Only God Forgives |
It's boring: While I can understand where this popular criticism comes from, I must say I wholeheartedly disagree. I think some viewers being bored has a lot to do with the characters. Similar to his role in Drive, Ryan Gosling plays a very stoic character that doesn't speak a whole lot. In fact, he only says 22 lines in the film. But also similar to Drive, is the reasoning behind it. Julian is one of a few Americans in the Bangkok drug district, and from the very beginning of the film, we get the impression that he calmly watches from afar as people fight in his boxing club, and drugs move in and out. There's not much interaction until his brother his killed, and he plays the role of content leader. Even more so than his background though, is is mother. As soon as she comes into the picture, that stoic persona is taken to a different level. It's important to note Kristen Scott Thomas's acting here, because she plays an overbearing, convincing, and powerful mother figure perfectly. She freezes Julian, and has him in total control. Their relationship is very unique, but drives the film in a lot of ways. Most of the scenes with the two of them are there for development purposes, and show precisely why Julian is the way he is. Chang is also very quiet throughout the movie, but then again he's a cold-blooded killer. Refn's characters and their dialogue (or lack there of) are carefully depicted, and very well developed, but to some, it may have come off as boring.
 |
| Julian (Ryan Gosling) preparing for a fight |
That leads right into our last boredom-related point: nothing happened. As I'm sure I've made clear, plenty happened in Only God Forgives, but not much in terms of action. Was it boring because an arm wasn't chopped of every five minutes? The climatic events of the film we're plenty for me, and I think they were made more impactful and suspenseful by the buildup in between. Perhaps I'm more patient than most moviegoers, but I was surprised at how many critics mentioned boredom in their reviews. I'd expect more seeing as they watch films for a living, and a lot of them being over two hours long. This is only 90 minutes, and I was certainly compelled for all of it.
The last note I'd like to make deals with budget. At a mere $4.8 million, the movie was produced for over $10 million less than Drive, and it looks even better. I'm sure filming in Bangkok had a bit to do with it, but to make a gorgeous movie with exquisite cinematography, special lighting, AND another fantastic soundtrack for under $5 million? Really impressive.
To end my ranting, Only God Forgives is simply a misunderstood film. It's masterfully crafted, visually stunning, and thoroughly gripping. Its characters are unique, and very well developed, and everything from the Bangkok landscape to the contemporary soundtrack will engross you. If you're patient and can handle the violence, I definitely recommend checking it out.
-EE
After watching the film, I realized this trailer was a bit misleading, but it's still awesome:
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