Nicolas Winding Refn has made a career of shocking audiences, for better and for worse. Through all of his work there is one word I keep repeating: hypnotic. I've seen five of his films and all of them put me in a trance. The stories, the camera work, the ethereal music beds, and the performances. Everyone involved seems to know what Refn is aiming to make, and when it works we inevitably figure it out.
In the case of Only God Forgives, I wish we knew what was going on.
Sometimes a film seems like it has one or two inside jokes that the characters get but you don't necessarily understand. I feel like if I watched this with the cast and crew they would smirk at certain moments and nod at a particular line. I, on the other hand, would be left scratching my head.
This is a film that after several viewings, probably similar to Paul Thomas Anderson's The Master, would make more and more sense, and maybe even create an appreciation for what is being done. Some movies can pull it off. 2001: A Space Odyssey is one such a film. it gets better and better with each viewing. Though The Master doesn't quite deserve a revisit just yet (it does have quality performances), this film falls completely flat.
It's a shame. A real shame. Refn is one of the most interesting filmmakers out there and his body of work shows it. He turns violence into an art form, where it's not just about special effects and blood curdling screams. He doesn't let violence carry on and on, barreling through walls and off of cars. Fighting hurts everyone, both the victim and the assailant. It's a very emotional experience with lots of blood, sweat, and swelling. That's what we saw in Drive, Valhalla Rising, and Bronson. That's not what we see here with OGF.
Now, I'm not advocating violence by any means. Violence when photographed and presented correctly can show humans at their most primal level. Here we have a lot of violent people, but there's no motive, nothing driving them to such violent acts. In Drive, the Driver is on his own. He must fight to survive, but he would rather use his wheels do the talking. The villain is an old, mean gangster with no patience to rant and torture his victims. His violent acts are done with purpose and precision. In OGF we have a lot of violent people, none of which we ever truly get to know.
Julian (Gosling) is a fighter (maybe) who runs a Thai boxing gym as a front for his mothers drug trafficking. He doesn't say much (less than in Drive if you can believe it) but he has a look about him that says...well, I'm not sure what it says. He's almost like a puppy. When his brother is killed his mother comes to seek revenge, hoping that Julian will help out. He doesn't. We find out later that he may or may not have been jealous of his brother's relationship with his mother, but we're never told anything that is the honest to God truth. You can't trust any of the characters...except the detective who wields a katana and slices up everything that moves.
I really don't want to go into the details because there isn't much and most of it is speculative. There are a few dream sequences (maybe) and one fight with Gosling, who may or may not be a good fighter. He sometimes has a temper but he also has a good side. His mother has no redeeming qualities and is pretty nasty to everyone. The detective leads a pretty wholesome life when he isn't stabbing, slicing, impaling, or gouging his way through the movie.
So the takeaways? Well, it looks pretty. This would probably serve better as a coffee table book than an actual movie. I would rather just look at a few images than an hour and half of synth tones, neon lights, and sword slashing. Honestly, watch the trailer. It tells a much more precise story and is more easy to understand. Hell, the trailer is actually pretty awesome (there is also a red band trailer that is more like a short Refn film).
Only God Forgives isn't an unforgivable sin. I don't even think it needs an apology. Refn clearly made a film that HE wanted to make. He has earned it in my book. Now that he has it out of his system I'm hoping he gets back to basics and starts making more films like Drive, Bronson, and Pusher. The ball is in your court Mr. Refn.
In the case of Only God Forgives, I wish we knew what was going on.
Sometimes a film seems like it has one or two inside jokes that the characters get but you don't necessarily understand. I feel like if I watched this with the cast and crew they would smirk at certain moments and nod at a particular line. I, on the other hand, would be left scratching my head.
This is a film that after several viewings, probably similar to Paul Thomas Anderson's The Master, would make more and more sense, and maybe even create an appreciation for what is being done. Some movies can pull it off. 2001: A Space Odyssey is one such a film. it gets better and better with each viewing. Though The Master doesn't quite deserve a revisit just yet (it does have quality performances), this film falls completely flat.
It's a shame. A real shame. Refn is one of the most interesting filmmakers out there and his body of work shows it. He turns violence into an art form, where it's not just about special effects and blood curdling screams. He doesn't let violence carry on and on, barreling through walls and off of cars. Fighting hurts everyone, both the victim and the assailant. It's a very emotional experience with lots of blood, sweat, and swelling. That's what we saw in Drive, Valhalla Rising, and Bronson. That's not what we see here with OGF.
Now, I'm not advocating violence by any means. Violence when photographed and presented correctly can show humans at their most primal level. Here we have a lot of violent people, but there's no motive, nothing driving them to such violent acts. In Drive, the Driver is on his own. He must fight to survive, but he would rather use his wheels do the talking. The villain is an old, mean gangster with no patience to rant and torture his victims. His violent acts are done with purpose and precision. In OGF we have a lot of violent people, none of which we ever truly get to know.
Julian (Gosling) is a fighter (maybe) who runs a Thai boxing gym as a front for his mothers drug trafficking. He doesn't say much (less than in Drive if you can believe it) but he has a look about him that says...well, I'm not sure what it says. He's almost like a puppy. When his brother is killed his mother comes to seek revenge, hoping that Julian will help out. He doesn't. We find out later that he may or may not have been jealous of his brother's relationship with his mother, but we're never told anything that is the honest to God truth. You can't trust any of the characters...except the detective who wields a katana and slices up everything that moves.
I really don't want to go into the details because there isn't much and most of it is speculative. There are a few dream sequences (maybe) and one fight with Gosling, who may or may not be a good fighter. He sometimes has a temper but he also has a good side. His mother has no redeeming qualities and is pretty nasty to everyone. The detective leads a pretty wholesome life when he isn't stabbing, slicing, impaling, or gouging his way through the movie.
So the takeaways? Well, it looks pretty. This would probably serve better as a coffee table book than an actual movie. I would rather just look at a few images than an hour and half of synth tones, neon lights, and sword slashing. Honestly, watch the trailer. It tells a much more precise story and is more easy to understand. Hell, the trailer is actually pretty awesome (there is also a red band trailer that is more like a short Refn film).
Only God Forgives isn't an unforgivable sin. I don't even think it needs an apology. Refn clearly made a film that HE wanted to make. He has earned it in my book. Now that he has it out of his system I'm hoping he gets back to basics and starts making more films like Drive, Bronson, and Pusher. The ball is in your court Mr. Refn.