Basically, there are two kinds of films. Firstly, there are genre-pictures, using established cinematographic conventions, trying to please the audience. They may be good or bad, but are never shocking, disturbing or ground-breaking. Secondly, there are films ignoring conventions, and deliberately keeping distance from mainstream movie-making. Their aim is not necessarily to entertain, but rather to provoke, to shock or to disturb. They may be good or bad, but they don't leave the audience indifferent.
Clearly, 'Only God Forgives' belongs to the latter group. The quality of this film is not about the plot twists, the character developments or the witty dialogue. There aren't any. This film is pure style. The only thing that matters is cinematography and atmosphere. And there's a lot of that.
The film is set in Bangkok, which is shown as a dimly lit cityscape full of violent characters without any moral feeling. There's almost no daylight in the film, and neither any emotion. A senseless killing sets in motion a series of extremely violent acts. These are shown in settings full of contrasts - the most memorable and most violent scene takes place in a karaoke bar full of young women, watching the bloody proceedings in a state of pure indifference.
The film sometimes is very slow. But this, and the very effective soundtrack, adds to the sinister atmosphere. One great scene shows a sort of garden, with a man and a young boy sitting in a corner. Very slowly, the camera moves towards them, while the music indicates something creepy is about to happen. You keep looking out for the danger that is supposed to be hiding in a corner, but then the film cuts and the camera angle reverses 180 degrees, so that the audience sees what the man and the boy see: an army of corrupt cops, with the most sadistic one in the front row.
In this film, the acting is not about showing emotions, but rather about hiding them. An easy job for Ryan Gosling, who only has to show a poker face and act cool. It's Kristin Scott-Thomas who's stealing the show in this film. Her role is miles away from the British stiff-upper-lipped parts or the French character roles she is most famous for. She plays a super vulgar woman without any conscience, and she does it so well that I doubt if I would have recognized her if I wouldn't have known she was in the cast.
The thing that struck me most about this film is how Asian it seems to be. Not only the emotionless acting and the stylish cinematography, but also the extreme, almost sadistic violence is something you wouldn't expect from a Danish director. He himself seems indeed to emphasize this, by using Thai characters for the opening and end credits.
Clearly, 'Only God Forgives' belongs to the latter group. The quality of this film is not about the plot twists, the character developments or the witty dialogue. There aren't any. This film is pure style. The only thing that matters is cinematography and atmosphere. And there's a lot of that.
The film is set in Bangkok, which is shown as a dimly lit cityscape full of violent characters without any moral feeling. There's almost no daylight in the film, and neither any emotion. A senseless killing sets in motion a series of extremely violent acts. These are shown in settings full of contrasts - the most memorable and most violent scene takes place in a karaoke bar full of young women, watching the bloody proceedings in a state of pure indifference.
The film sometimes is very slow. But this, and the very effective soundtrack, adds to the sinister atmosphere. One great scene shows a sort of garden, with a man and a young boy sitting in a corner. Very slowly, the camera moves towards them, while the music indicates something creepy is about to happen. You keep looking out for the danger that is supposed to be hiding in a corner, but then the film cuts and the camera angle reverses 180 degrees, so that the audience sees what the man and the boy see: an army of corrupt cops, with the most sadistic one in the front row.
In this film, the acting is not about showing emotions, but rather about hiding them. An easy job for Ryan Gosling, who only has to show a poker face and act cool. It's Kristin Scott-Thomas who's stealing the show in this film. Her role is miles away from the British stiff-upper-lipped parts or the French character roles she is most famous for. She plays a super vulgar woman without any conscience, and she does it so well that I doubt if I would have recognized her if I wouldn't have known she was in the cast.
The thing that struck me most about this film is how Asian it seems to be. Not only the emotionless acting and the stylish cinematography, but also the extreme, almost sadistic violence is something you wouldn't expect from a Danish director. He himself seems indeed to emphasize this, by using Thai characters for the opening and end credits.