Few films in 2013 have been (or will be) as divisive as Nicolas Winding Refn's Only God Forgives, depending on who you ask, the film is either an arthouse masterpiece, or an overly existensial mindfreak. The words critic-proof couldn't be a more perfect descripter.
Drive was Refn's big break-through on the scene for mainstream audiences, but this effort is much closer to the rest of the auteur's filmmography. Those who were big fans of Drive may want to temper their expectations before walking into Only God Forgives, this picture is much closer to something like the acid trip that was Valhalla Rising than the more straight-forward Ryan Gosling vehicle.
Brothers Julian (Ryan Gosling) and Billy (Tom Burke) run a boxing club that serves as a front for a drug operation. Dealing drugs is the least offensive attribute of Billy, who regularly seeks the services of underage prostitutes and beats them for his amusement. One evening, he goes too far and murders one of the prostitutes, drawing the ire of Bangkok police lieutenant Chang (Vithaya Pansringarm). Rather than arrest Billy, Chang allows the father of the murdered girl to exact his own revenge.
Chang is less an officer of the law and more an archetype completely aware of every evil act committed, particularly those done by Julian's clan. He enforces justice, not as we know, but more in the Old Testament sense, taking an eye for an eye, or in Billy's case, a life for a life.
News of Billy's death reaches Billy and Julian's mother (Kristin Scott Thomas) in Florida and before long Crystal comfortably muddles herself in the filth of the locale, hiring thugs to take care of Chang. Outraged that Julian didn't kill his brother's murderer, Crystal chastises Julian for not only not seeking vengeance for his brother's death, but thinking that he deserved it in the first place.
Julian is impotent in all aspects of his life except rage. The only time he feels in control is when he smashes his fist into someone's face. Bound to protect his mother, Crystal's decision to take retribution into her own hands places Julian and Chang on a collision course.
No one would accuse Refn of loading up on plot for Only God Forgives and in many ways, the film serves as the perfect example of an economic narrative. All you need to know about the characters and story is present, but nothing more is given. Dialogue is on the sparse bordering on the verge of becoming a silent picture. Communication is limited to glances, clenched fists and awkward silence.
Refn knows exactly how to visualize Julian’s internal pain, keeping him bathed in neon red and framing him within narrow halls and cages. As impressive as Refn's handling of the film's aesthetic is, there isn't enough on the screen to justify a full-feature. The characters are thinly sketched and the motivations provided are not enough to sustain the visual oddities and dreamlike sequences that pop up.
If the camp of the material isn't immediately obvious, the string of obscenities that flows from Thomas's mouth with regularity will make it clear. Kristin Scott Thomas relishes the role of Crystal in a way that would make Mommie Dearest blush. Thomas doesn't just chew scenery, she swallows it whole. The only problem with that is she is the only actor relishing the opportunity, Gosling and Pansringarm act on a purely physical level, rarely venturing to anything compelling. Such flaws are expected from a grindhouse homage, but Refn lets himself indulge in incredulous moments too often.
An exercise in audience identification, Only God Forgives utilizes violence as a currency like many of Stanley Kubrick's works or those of Martin Scorsese, but Refn has no such social messages present in his film. Coupled with overly-stylized moments that have no meaning and a waste of a very talented leading man, audiences can only hope that Refn and Gosling's third film together will be closer to Drive than Only God Forgives.
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