Only God Forgives is a study in contradictions. It's one of the most beautiful films of the year but also one of the most hideous. It features a cop who's a murderer and criminal who's a gentleman. Most importantly, it's technically flawless but lacks any compelling reason to care about what's happening.
Refn's previous films, including Drive and Bronson, had leads that seemed larger than life and, despite their completely amoral attitudes, gave you a reason to root for them. Only God Forgives doesn't have any of that. In this world, there are only horrible people and slightly less horrible people. This is a movie that practically spits in your face, daring you not to like it.
Shockingly, one of its major problems is Gosling. Where he imbued a sense of loneliness and duty into the Driver, as Julian he can only offer blank stares. Faring much better is Kristin Scott Thomas as his evil mother. As a revenge-obsessed, possibly incestuous diva, she should have her visage placed on Bad Movie Mom Rushmore alongside Faye Dunaway in Mommie Dearest, Jacki Weaver in Animal Kingdom and Mo'Nique in Precious.
She's arrived in Bangkok, looking like she just came from an audition for The Real Housewives of Whatever, to claim the body of her other son Billy (Tom Burke). He was butchered by the father of the girl he raped and killed. Like I said, only horrible people and slightly less horrible people.
Standing in between Julian and bloody vengeance is Chang (Vithaya Pansringarm), a local cop who's also a single father. He enjoys singing karaoke after filleting some low-life with his blade. It's hard to tell whether these musical interludes are meant as comic relief, but the audience was filled with nervous laughter. It's hard to know, but surely there had to be some respite from seeing character after character dismembered and tortured.
If there is any substance in this stylish movie, it's that it might be seen as a grisly interpretation of what happens in an eye-for-an-eye world. But that seems wishful thinking. This comes across as gory for gore's sake. Even so, with all those caveats noted, Only God Forgives begs to be seen at least once for its supreme style alone. You will certainly never see another movie like this, and that's for the best.
