Only God Forgives

An experience that from the viewer’s perspective is something that combines orgasmic feelings with getting your fingernails ripped out, when you had the misfortune to be born with twenty fingers on each hand. The subjective running time of 300 years admittedly hypnotizes you with its visual fetish and almost hollowed-out narrative, where Gosling, for example, could easily have been replaced with a plush imitation of himself and it wouldn't have mattered. I don't begrudge Refn making films for himself; what bothers me is that he's considered a fantastic director, with his obsessive fascination with the image proving that, as a director, he's actually incompetent and lacking any kind of insight. And I don't buy his dedication to Jodorowsky as an alibi. Only God Forgives is essentially a photo-novel due to its static nature, and perhaps the likes of Greenaway would eat it for breakfast. In all its negatives, the film is reminiscent of the director's American debut, Fear X, or the anti-intellectual I Come with the Rain. But I can't help it, it's delicious eye-candy and offended me only a little bit. Now it's up to Refn what he comes up with next; I'd recommend a genre film, otherwise he doesn't have much of a place in a world where Gaspar Noé, Harmony Korine, or Danny Boyle are making visual art spectacles. I look forward to the reviews. (06/06/2013)

A pseudo-art game with symbols, vague characters, and a story about revenge and (lack of) forgiveness, in which fantastic cinematography and the unintentional ridiculousness of Gosling's vacant stare reign supreme. Overall, it’s enough for the biggest movie pose and epic fail of the year because I haven't seen a movie in a long time that shows so much of what it wants to be and works exactly the opposite way; I want to read a long analysis of it by a film theorist. (21/09/2013)

Refn made a name for himself with the movie "Drive" and decided that his approach must work every time. And so we get another gritty spectacle, where blood splatters, stoic performances, long shots, mostly saying nothing, and finally even familiar faces, which Refn has been successful with since "Bronson". The first half hour is fine and could bring anything, even Tarantino-style carnage, but Refn doesn't care about that. He styles his film and does it his way. I have to say that his portrayal of violence simply suits me. It looks incredibly good and realistic, which is supported by the static camera. However, the duel between Julian and the mafia boss is simply pathetic. Unfortunately, the second half of the film is really about nothing and the violence just can't save it. It's a shame, the potential was much more promising. (07/01/2014)

Thanks to Drive, Nicolas Winding Refn conquered the world, only to drive away his newly discovered fans away with his dream project. A hypnotic atmosphere that compels you to immerse oneself in every dark shot is an amazing thing, but the slow storyline is so self-absorbed that I can't go any further, not even for Ryan Gosling's indecipherable gaze. In Bangkok everyone is betting on him more than ever before, and I honestly felt sorry for any audience members who have already had enough of Gosling's silent charisma. Personally, I still fawn over him instantly, but considering the surprisingly strong feeling that this is an empty fable set in perfect visuals, this time around I am indeed disappointed. (21/10/2013)

An empty hypnoneon nothing that paradoxically has it all; redruM, a shitload of material for Gosling’s breakfast, Oedipus complex², Jodorowsky, a return to mother’s womb, Martinez, Thai folk song karaoke, some explicit violence etc. (06/06/2013)