Rent Only God Forgives (2013)

A graphically violent, deeply unsettling but totally absorbing film with stunning imagery - Only God Forgives review by TB

When Ryan Gosling and Nicolas Winding Refn first worked together, they made a masterpiece in the film Drive. And it was a massive critical and commercial hit, attracting in no small part the legions of Gosling’s fans. One can therefore only imagine the horror and shock when those fans in particular sat in the cinema, all excited and expecting to effectively see Drive 2.

One view which was written in another review which I will reference here is that Drive was in many ways an anomaly in terms of Nicolas Winding Refn’s filmography. Whereas in Drive, Winding Refn was directing a Ryan Gosling film, in Only God Forgives (OGF) Gosling is starring in a Nicolas Winding Refn film, which is a totally different beast. This is a world of extreme violence, continuing threat, harsh contrasting colours, anti-heroes and almost no happy endings. So, it is no wonder there have been the extreme polarising reactions that greeted this film, not least the official Cinema Paradiso review. This film is much more in the vein of Bronson, another Winding Refn film which is about the physicality & violence of humans, albeit mostly from within the confines of a prison cell.

But I absolutely loved it.

Much praise has to go to Gosling. His character Julian has 17 words in the entire film. In one sense, this is acting in the purest meaning of the word. There are long silences, scenes are slow and there is a lot of tension communicated with simple stares, looks and actions. Whilst some have said that Gosling simply looked bored throughout the whole film, for me I totally bought into the world created. And unlike a film like The Souvenir, which was also a slow-moving film but terrible, a lot actually happens in OGF. In fact, the slowness of it is the only thing preventing it from getting 5 stars.

One of the best parts about the film acting wise is Kristen Scott Thomas, who plays one of the worst on-screen mothers/mafia bosses you could imagine. Peroxide blonde, with a tongue so vicious it could cut through a steel door, she arrives following the murder of her other son to find his killers and in her words “Raise hell!” In one sense, her impact is all the more profound because of Gosling’s near mute character.

But the film belongs to Vithaya Pansringarm, who plays the police chief, but is also in a very real sense the “God” of the film. His acts of violence against the people who he thinks have done wrong are at times almost unwatchable. But he also is a fascinating character and someone I couldn’t take my eyes off. You are held in suspense watching and wondering what he will do next.

Aside from the performances, everything else is also wonderful. The soundtrack is another great one from Cliff Martinez, the locations (many of which I visited on a trip to Thailand in 2014,) are also great. But the main draw for me here was the colour palette & cinematography. There is almost nothing which looks like a Winding Refn film and the neon colours are superb.

This is a film I absolutely got lost in. I loved it and I hope others will too. Just don’t watch it if you don’t have a strong stomach...