Full Movie Reviews
Rating of
1/4
A sad attempt to emulate "Drive"
ikkegoemikke - wrote on 11/28/2017
Refn wants to show clearly what he's good in. Namely bringing a simple story to a higher level by stylistic and artistic tricks . As with "Drive" there is a lot of commotion about this movie and there are pro's and contra's of this movie. Refn apparently seems to be a huge fan of David Lynch. Some will consider it as a work of art . Others will qualify it more as complete nonsense and a waste of time when you watch this movie . My opinion lies in between those two and consider it as a great achievement to make an artistic tale of a meaningless story. The intellectual movie audience obviously will give a standing ovation for this one and it will lead to all kinds of theories and opinions. Think long enough about it and you'll discover a deeper philosophical content with appropriate …
Rating of
3/4
"Only God Forgives" by Yojimbo
Yojimbo - wrote on 10/15/2014
When a vigilante cop dispenses summary justice over a murderous drug dealer, his mother arrives in town to claim his body and demands revenge, little realising exactly who it is she is dealing with. Only God Forgives is another neon-drenched walk on the wild side from Nicolas Winding Refn and Ryan Gosling, featuring highly stylized visuals and bursts of visceral violence. The story takes place on the mean streets of Bangkok and features a lone man of at least mild conscience caught between straight psychopaths, one on each side of the law. It is very reminiscent of David Lynch (and Blue Velvet in particular) as well as Chan Wook Park's Vengeance trilogy and even Stanley Kubrick in its mix of beautiful visuals, surreal imagery and deeply dark and disturbing undercurrents, which makes for …
Rating of
3/4
Depravity gets the Winding Refn treatment.
memento_mori - wrote on 12/01/2013
Upon my first viewing of Nicolas Winding Refn's Only God Forgives, I was left startled by how preposterous, vile, cruel and downright sick it seemed to me. But, as many great filmmakers' works implicitly implore us to do, Refn's much darker and more philosophical follow-up to Drive begged a second viewing of me. And a second viewing startled me once again. This time, in a fortunate way.
Understand this, Only God Forgives is still a sick and vile and cruel film. It still makes me feel sick to my stomach and is extremely hard to watch, but that is also what is entirely fascinating about it.
Winding Refn is a very brave director, in the sense that: he is honest. And I respect him for that.
He made his film with about as much soul and dedication as any great classic director would have, …
Rating of
1/4
Only God Can Forgive This Film
Unknown - wrote on 11/02/2013
There was much anticipation for 'Only God Forgives' from film fans (including me) who appreciated director Nicolas Winding Refn's previous arthouse/mainstream mix effort 'Drive'. After initial critical backlash, I set my expectations substantially lower. Turns out that was a good decision. 'Only God Forgives' is a slow, plot-less endeavor that seems to be solely focused on visual style. The whole piece is essentially a barrage of scenes involving mannequin characters, graphic torturous violence, and odd sexual implications. There exists absolutely no emotion in a single character. The film is cold and devoid of any viewer engagement. Even in the most meandering 'arthouse' films there still exists purpose for presenting thoughts or feelings through images. Not the case here. The …
Rating of
1/4
Only God Forgives review
Daniel Corleone - wrote on 09/07/2013
Lacks the interesting elements of the directors previous effort such as character development, an upbeat score and a clear cut plot. This picture's snail pace and unconventional dialogues made it a difficult watch. The violence was relentless and just prolongs the film as well. Gosling shows an earnest portrayal but the rest of the cast seemed wooden. Most of the scenes were too horrific for a crime drama and pointless. Some minute positive aspects were the cinematography, camera direction and usage of various colors. This would have been a silent film instead of adding some useless screenplay. Overall, well crafted flick but pointless series of events and murders which includes one of the most painful tortures visually onscreen. Not sure if one characters name was mentioned as …
Rating of
3/4
Only God Forgives
Jacob Zembower - wrote on 07/29/2013
Nicolas Winding Refn's follow up to his near-perfect last picture 'Drive' is not quite as brilliant. It serves lurid violence, unrestrained depravity, and delicious style on a truly freezing platter. Ryan Gosling, a talented actor, gives an absolute non-performance this time around. If you thought he was emotionless and quiet in Drive, you haven't seen anything yet. Maybe that is the point considering the man vs. God undercurrent to the story, but it can't be denied that he's almost entirely uninterested. Fortunately though there is Kristen Scott Thomas, who steals every scene she is in with chewing every object in the room and spitting it on the floor. She's a vile character, but Thomas is fascinating and hilariously offensive and complex, and she pulls it off flawlessly. The …
Rating of
2/4
Review: Only God Forgives
MikePA - wrote on 07/20/2013
Nicolas Winding Refn directed Drive, Bronson, and Valhalla Rising. The man is a terrific filmmaker who can blend practical, dazzling visuals with really fascinating and compelling characters. With Only God Forgives, I was under the impression he was just showing off what he could do with the camera and the picture within it. About the film's look - it's absolutely impeccable. It's the best looking film I've seen all year. The cinematography really makes the film's colors and the action pop as if you're watching a 3-D film. But I feel like that's all Refn wants to show us. There isn't a mildly interesting character to be found. There's barely a story to latch on to. There may be a message deep beneath the pretty imagery, but I can't find it, nor ultimately did I really care. I'll always …
