Most of you probably won't be able to see Only God Forgives in theaters. It was given a very limited release and it hasn't been too favored with critics. It's a film that probably deserved a wider release, but due to it's "artsiness" and bad reviews, will probably float on by average joe moviegoer without so much as a second glance. And I'm not sure this if this is a bad thing or not. For those who know what the film is and have a desire to see it, I'd suggest seeking it out while it's still in theaters because there are aspects of the film that just won't translate as well on a television. But, for those who are simply just Gosling fans, not really sure what to expect, I'd suggest waiting... probably forever.
Only God Forgives is Ryan Gosling and writer/director Nicolas Winding Refn's new baby after their much more successful and considerably better vehicle, Drive. This time around Gosling plays Julian, a drug-smuggler living in the underworld of Thailand, whose brother, a pederast and murderer, is killed. Julian's mother (played by an almost unrecognizable Kristen Scott Thomas) arrives in Thailand to see her son's body and put a hit out on anyone involved with the killing. She first asks Julian to do the deed, but after finding out why his brother was killed in the first place, allows the killer to go free. Momma don't like this one bit, so she hires goons to do the job for her. Now, this sounds a lot more exciting than the film really is. It's not your typical revenge flick. It's slow moving, it's quiet, and it's very subtle in every way except for the violence. Much like in Drive, the ultraviolence in the film can be quite unsettling.
Director Refn has a definite style to his movies. He can beautifully light up a scene or darken it with neon colors. His choreography is set specifically to the pulsating tone of the soundtrack. He lingers on shots that can give you goosebumps. There will always been at least one instance of shocking violence, and trust me there is much in this film, and not the good kind either. He's a slower, more precise director that, depending on the film, could be his accomplishment or his downfall. Here, it's a little of both. While the entire film is beautiful to watch and mesmerizing to listen to, the rest of it falls almost into the category of: "art for the sake of art" without much else to say. I will say this, however, that Gosling has found his niche. The quiet badass who you know has anger and revenge bubbling up inside of him, but the clean, handsome, almost hypnotizing exterior.
The film itself is a slow-paced, very strange romp through the lives of others that no one will sympathize with. Every character in the film is utterly despicable and the only reason it keeps our attention is that we, ashamedly, want to know what these horrible human beings are going to do next. It's an arthouse film for the Saw generation. And while I don't think it was necessarily a bad film, I'm certainly not sure if I liked it. I think I did... but I really don't know.
C
No comments:
Post a Comment