Capsule Review: ONLY GOD FORGIVES, But Not For This Movie

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Writer/Director: Nicolas Winding Refn
Cast: Ryan Gosling, Kristin Scott Thomas, Vithaya Pansringarm
Official Synopsis: Julian (Ryan Gosling), a respected figure in the criminal underworld of Bangkok, runs a Thai boxing club and smuggling ring with his brother Billy. Billy is suddenly murdered and their crime lord matriarch, Crystal (Kristin Scott Thomas) arrives from London to bring back the body. When Jenna forces Julian to settle the score with his brother’s killers, Julian finds himself in the ultimate showdown.

ONLY GOD FORGIVES: The most fartistic movie of the year.

The only thing going for it is potty mouthed Kristin Scott Thomas, who obliterates her innocence we’ve all grown to know. (Good for her.)

There’s a great scene, which you can see in the trailer, where Gosling’s Julian calmly asks his foe, “Wanna fight?” This is probably one of the coolest and most talked about lines before the film even released. But, the fight scene following is hollow, pointless, and not as exciting as writer/director Nicolas Winding Refn could have and should have made it.

But let’s get one thing clear, Refn is the master at stylized violence and colorful photography - it’s what makes his avant-garde style so great and unmatched. But ONLY GOD FORGIVES was too over the top - a love letter by Refn, for Refn.