Only God Forgives

Short Verdict: A neon-lit, blood soaked nightmare of a film and all the better for it. A somewhat misunderstood film, Refn and Gosling return is a divisive and difficult trip into the dark heart of Bangkok.

Under a sea of controversy, Ryan Gosling and Danish filmmaker Nicholas Winding Refn reunite to tell a tale of revenge, family, justice and violence in the harsh Bangkok underworld. The story follows Julian (Gosling), who uses a Thai kick-boxing club as a front for a massive drug smuggling operation, along with his mother Crystal (Kristin Scott Thomas), who tries to seek vengeance for the murder of his (truly despicable) brother. The paths of Julian and Crystal are crossed by the omnipresent, sword-wielding, policemen Lt. Chang (Vithaya Pansringarm), who is also seeking to bring justice to the crimes committed by Julian’s brother (and also authorised his murder). The characters themselves are blank, traumatised slates, but this works within what Refn is trying to create – the extreme violence these characters commit informs the audience of their character and motivations. We can only learn about these characters through the horrific acts they commit. In this regard, Only God Forgives can be a very tough watch, especially for those converted by Refn’s previous film Drive, which put an emphasis on a blooming romantic relationship in the middle of escalating violence. However, the violence of Only God Forgives, much criticised by many in the press, serves a purpose in both examining its effects on people and for those watching the film.

Only God Forgives is a beautifully shot film, soaking in deep pools of red and blood against the rain-soaked city of Bangkok. Here, the city offers no escape for the characters and hostile to outside influences. However, Refn completely embraces the city for his thematic concerns, right down to the use of Taiwanese titles for the credits. Another criticism given of the film is the use of long slow takes of characters. However, again, this works within Refn’s treatise on violence. The long takes make us question the character motives, leaving us wanting to get to the next violent action scene and when it happens, we are subjected to long uncut acts of violence – and what does that say about us as viewers? Nothing shows this off more than the long, drawn out fist fight with Julian and Lt. Chang towards the end of the film (overlaid by the stunning Cliff Martinez synth-organ music) which directly throws the viewer in the act of committing violence. Rather than lingering and cumbersome, the long take serves to work within the thematic framework Refn is working with. As previously touched upon, Cliff Martinez’s soundtrack is beautiful, bringing back some of the synth elements from Drive, but overlaying it with traditional Taiwanese instruments and sounds. This again helps to put the viewer directly into the world Refn is trying to create. The use of music is surprisingly sparse and only helps to inform the creeping, cold nature of the story and the themes.  

This is further supported by the blank nature of the characters, all very intentional. Gosling plays Julian as an impotent fighter, struggling through the conflicts of his own personal choices and his relationship with his family (especially his mother). Having even less dialogue than his career-defining role in Drive, Gosling plays Julian as expressionless, empty and troubled. A particularly great scene follows Julian and his encounter with a prostitute. He can only sit and watch her, completely emasculated. In contrast to this, and arguably the only character with a kind of passion, is Crystal, Julian’s mother, played with ferocity by Kristin Scott Thomas. Playing the dominant mother in the relationship, Crystal plays a part in Refn’s staging of this oedipal drama. His entrance into the film, coldly stating that she has come to collect her son’s body while harassing a hotel worker, clearly demonstrates her dominance – for her, violence seeks to serve as vengeance for the loss of her son and only leaves her cold, empty and hostile. The third major player in the film is Lt. Chang, played with cold intensity by Vithaya Pansringarm. Lt. Chang feels like he has stepped out of an old samurai film, wielding his sword, treating it with reverence and enacting his form of cold-cut justice. Once again, violence has caused this character to retreat into withdrawal – even though he uses it in the name of his own form of justice, he is left traumatised by his acts having only karaoke confessionals to admit to his murders (and yes, you read that right – these scenes also help to inform elements of the characters, in a similar vein to Tsai Ming-Liang’s The Hole).

Only God Forgives is an exceptional film, an odd blip in the cinema going experience. Much more in line with Refn’s previous work as opposed to Drive, the film opts for a more arthouse style. As a cinema going experience, it is engrossing, polarising and difficult. Some audience members may leave the cinema alienated from the story and the characters, however this is arguably the point. While it has been criticised by some for its violent content, Only God Forgives is actually an intelligent look at its effects on people and we as a cinema audience. It directly involves us in the horrific acts and offers up the question of why we watch it. While it doesn’t answer this, it provides a great launching point for its place in cinema. Gosling and Refn have created a difficult, often times unwatchable, film that challenges its audience to explore the dark heart of humanity.

  

Long Verdict: Intentionally difficult and off-putting, Only God Forgives will not please all audience members, especially those expecting Drive Part II. In fact, it plays out like the dark, twisted reflection of Drive. Dealing with difficult themes and emotionally distant characters, the film is not for everyone and may alienate many. However, those willing to go into the dark side of Bangkok will find an intelligent assessment on violence and its relationship to people and the audience. A misunderstood film that deserves a closer look than some critics have been giving it. 

Rating: 9/10