Only God Forgives (directed by Nicolas Winding Refn)

Wanna Fight?

Low brooding beats, gloomy shadows, Ryan Gosling’s face appears obscured in the darkness of the frame. So far, so familiar for the second pairing of director Nicolas Winding Refn and his golden boy Gosling. But those expecting Drive 2 should move on as that is where the similarities come to an abrupt end. In Drive, Gosling was allowed some form of happiness before the inevitable car crash of violence but in Only God Forgives his exiled Julian starts in hell and continues the descent as the film progresses into a dark rabbit hole with no escape.

A simple tale of revenge performed like an operatic nightmare, Julian, an exiled drug smuggler living in Thailand, is ordered by his mother Crystal (Kristen Scott Thomas, an incestuous Cruella DeVille styled like Donatella Versace) to kill the man behind his brother Billy’s murder. However the man he is targeting is retired cop Chang, aka The Angel of Vengeance (Vithaya Pansringarm), with his own agenda for primitive justice.
Only God Forgives’ ace card is in its design, every frame is composed and executed with precision and admirable flair. The cinematography is rich in enhancing the lurid underworld, seeped in evocative red hues that disorientate and drag the viewer further into the situation. Winding Refn is a director with free reign and you can sense that he will not allow his vision to be compromised which comes at a price; it feels too aware of itself to care.

Crystal pouts in neon hues

It is populated with ugly characters with no redeeming qualities, that whilst it is not always necessary to relate to the protagonists, it is hard to elicit any emotion with a bunch of condemned souls, creating detachment and disdain for them. Julian’s assigned revenge is bereft of any honour, Billy is murdered because he raped and killed a young prostitute, yet his mother refuses to acknowledge this shameful deed. Chang could be seen as delivering a form of rectitude but he is working beyond the law, brandishing punishment in a calculated sadistic manner. The violence is visceral and unflinching, in particular the way Chang has a perchance for bearing his samurai skills and using available sharp objects, including a set of hair pins. Heads will be caved in, chests will be split open and Gosling face will be beaten to a pulp which may be the most disconcerting element for many of his admirers.

The Angel Of Vengence

Gosling himself can brood like the best of them, his puppy dog eyes used to the best of their expressiveness to counteract the lack of Julian’s dialogue. He is a man disarmed, unable to control himself; he is incapable of touching his ‘girlfriend’ and constant references to his hands are hinted out throughout the film and worryingly the only time Julian touches something deeply is his mother. But Gosling is pretty much sidelined by Vithaya Pansringarm as Chang, a karaoke loving force to be reckoned with, carrying menace in muted spades. Each time he is on screen, the tension is heightened and Gosling finds himself in the unlikely position of being the visual underdog.

 

 



Nicolas Winding Refn stated, a little pompously, that he wanted the film ‘to penetrate the viewer’ however it is hard to get past the glacial surface that he presents. The film would perhaps benefit from repeat viewings yet it is a world that you won’t want to return to in a hurry and therein lies the rub. Hailed as a masterpiece by many but equally derided by others, it is one to truly divide its audience; it is both an exercise in masterful bravado filmmaking but also a laborious frustrating experience. Will Only God Forgives over time open itself to reveal more to admire?

Only time will tell….