Plot
Julian, a drug-smuggler thriving in Bangkok's criminal underworld, sees his life get even more complicated when his mother compels him to find and kill whoever is responsible for his brother's recent death.
Release Year: 2013
Rating: 6.3/10 (8,562 voted)
Director:Nicolas Winding Refn
Storyline
Bangkok. Ten years ago Julian killed a man and went on the run. Now he manages a Thai boxing club as a front for a drugs operation. Respected in the criminal underworld, deep inside, he feels empty. When Julian's brother murders an underage prostitute, the police call on retired cop Chang - the Angel of Vengeance. Chang allows the father to kill his daughter's murderer, then 'restores order' by chopping off the man's right hand. Julian's mother Jenna - the head of a powerful criminal organization - arrives in Bangkok to collect her son's body. She dispatches Julian to find his killers and 'raise hell'.
Trivia:
According to Nicolas Winding Refn, the film is a thriller produced as a western, all in the Far East, and with a modern cowboy hero. See more »
Quotes:
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User Review
Author:
Rating: 5/10
If you've seen Drive, then you should know that this movie is nothing
like it, except perhaps in the fact that they are both beautifully
shot. Drive had a pretty brisk pace, good dialogue, a plot that went
somewhere, and a likable character.
Only God Forgives had none of that. This is a movie which moves along
at a snail's pace, and even at a runtime of 90 minutes, it feels like
many hours go by before even a single thing happens. Even the
characters move and turn slowly.
The plot, such as it is, you would probably find worth watching, but
Nicolas Winding Refn peppers it with pseudo-dream sequences and many
pointless scenes that drag on for ever, so that the plot becomes hard
to stay interested in.
Now, some things you might care about.
The acting. Ryan Gosling, of whom I was a fan in his earlier days,
plays the same character from Drive, except that here he is indeed even
more emotionless. He speaks about 5 lines during the whole movie, and
has fewer different facial expressions. Kristin Scott Thomas is very
good, although she feels underused. She is definitely the strong point
of this movie. Yayaying Rhatha Phongam, who plays a prominent role in
the movie, is as expressionless as Gosling, although he is somewhat
better, in my opinion.
Action scenes do exist, and they do resemble those from Drive, in that
they are very matter-of-factly and visceral. Here, Winding Refn has
really indulged in a lot of gratuitous gore, although overall, I found
the action scenes quite entertaining. One particular one showcases
Byron Gibson's acting talents, and it is particularly (and hilariously)
cringe-worthy.
All the characters in this movie are unlikable. It is extremely
difficult to get yourself to care for any of them, including Gosling's,
who is arguably the protagonist here.
Aside from Scott Thomas' acting, the only other redeeming quality of
this film is the excellent way in which most scenes are set up and
shot. The sets, the camera movement, the placement of the actors, all
of these make up for some truly gorgeous shots.
Overall, sad as I am to say it, I cannot recommend seeing Only God
Forgives.
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