Release
Date: 2nd August 2013 (UK)
Age
Certificate: 18
Running
Time: 88 mins
Director: Nicolas Winding Refn
Writers: Nicolas Winding Refn
Stars: Ryan Gosling, Kristin Scott Thomas and Vithaya PansringramEvery couple of years, there's only a few films that splits the film community in half. This year that film is Only God Forgives. Some say it’s a masterpiece, whereas others would say it is the worst film they’ve ever seen. I couldn’t wait to view it and come to my own conclusion.
Julian, played by Ryan Gosling, is a drug-smuggler thriving
in Bangkok's criminal underworld. However, he sees his life become even more
complicated when his mother, Crystal - played by the ever competent Kristen Scott Thomas, dictates him to kill whoever is responsible
for his brothers recent death.
I’m going to say it; I loved Drive! (directed by Nicholas
Winding Refn) It's become a cult film, so it's easy to say, but it was just one of those
films that brought a feeling I hadn’t felt before. I
would have loved to have seen it on the big screen, but unfortunately I ‘didn’t
look old enough’ to get in. After reading the rave reviews I bought it on Blu-ray a couple of months
later. The romance, the tension and
the direction all bought something to the table, to create a great work of art.
I sat down to watch Only God Forgives wanting to leave with
the feeling. After viewing the film I didn’t know what I felt. Perhaps it was one of
confusion. I wasn’t confused about the concept of the film, it was the confusion
of whether I liked it or not?
Right from the bat, this film looks amazing. I knew it would, as I regard the cinematographer Larry Smith, as a genius. He has an eye for shots that stay with you long after the film has ended. Only a few flicks in the history of film look as
good as this. It’s that stunning! Directing is also outstanding, apart from his
twisted visions that he shows in his films. In addition to this, the soundtrack
is mesmerising - a moody electronic vibe from Cliff Martinez, who also worked on ‘Drive’
The downside of Only God Forgives is that it is gratuitously
violent; I mean there is an eye ball stabbing in this film! You don’t need that
in a motion picture, personally it did nothing for me. Some of the other scenes are a
bit too graphic but as Nicolas Winding Refn said, ‘violence is my fetish.’ His
favourite film has been The Texas Chainsaw Massacre ever since he was 14. Enough said!
I felt nothing for any of the characters; they
were are all heartless, cold and murderers. The only exception was Crystal, Julian’s mother.
She’s just a bitch. Julian was a troubled
child; it is possible there was forced incest between him and his mother. Not
the typical motherly love you might say. There is also another hidden truth
that he has buried away; all I’m going to say is that hands have a big role to
play in the film. He yearns for forgiveness.
Only God Forgives has concealed meanings and metaphors,
mostly and probably all to do with God. I’m not going to say which character is
supposed to represent God, but I’m sure you can work it out.
I could dive into this film describing the meanings
scene by scene but I don’t want to spoil it too much. Even if one doesn’t enjoy
the concept and story, just go to admire the absolute beauty of the film.
The key complement I can give, is that it’s a film that I have not seen the likes of before. There should be more films
that are more ’out there’ and shouldn’t have to worry about being commercially acceptable.
7.5/10
Score could change (it’s one of those films)
D.R. HAYES
Thanks D.R., your passion for this film, and for film in general, is clear and engages the reader. You show a thorough knowledge of the subject you have chosen to write about and adapt your style well for your purpose and audience. I haven’t seen either of the movies you have written about, but I definitely want to investigate.
ReplyDeleteI’d like to ask you to consider the same issue that I asked Anas to think about, namely our collective fascination with watching scenes of extreme violence. What does this fascination come from? Is it healthy? Why do we enjoy watching scenes of brutality and torture? What do you think?
Finally, it is good to see you using a wide range of punctuation, but do make sure you are using colons and semicolons correctly. For example, where you write: ‘I’m going to say it; I loved Drive!’ it would be more appropriate to use a colon than a semicolon.
Read this and complete the exercises:
http://www.bristol.ac.uk/arts/exercises/grammar/grammar_tutorial/page_04.htm
The urge for violence in our media, especially TV series and film, is so we can watch something daring and un-PC. Most people don’t have the audacity or insanity to go around, punching, cutting and killing everyone that annoys them, well at least I hope not.
ReplyDeleteNot only in today’s culture do we want to see high paced TV and read gripping books but we also want to see something that we don’t witness every day, something out of the blue. Some could say that this is because of all the different mediums going on around us, we have a shorter attention span than what we had. This is not to say for all of us, but the masses for sure.
Violence is okay in small quantities, but when it is thrown at you this way and the next, it gets boring in a funny sort of way. We are getting used to it, it’s becoming main stream. It’s weird to say this as gory violence has only really taken off in most films in the last ten or fifteen years. When you look at the likes of The Evil Dead in the eighties, it was so frowned upon that it was banned in cinemas!
Film needs to come up with original concepts and the violence is only used for the element of surprise, not just to be used for the sake of it.