Only God Forgives

Only God Forgives is a dark, violent story set in Bangkok about the unfortunate human need for revenge. The plot is fairly simple, although at times I wasn't quite sure what was going on, especially with Ryan Gosling's strange character. The acting is very good, especially Kristin Scott Thomas as the ice queen bitch from hell. Gosling acts with a lot of controlled intensity, similar to his portrayal in Drive. On the down side there is a lot of slow, purposeful walking and posing that seems unnatural but maybe it was meant to add to the surrealism of the film. Some of the cinematography is quite striking, and you get the feeling each scene has been carefully thought out and rehearsed. It doesn't always work but I admire the director's ambition and vision. The violence cannot go unnoticed - there are a few scenes of graphic violence that are really quite disturbing and don't add anything to the film. Only God Forgives is an atmospheric, stylish, strange film that never reaches the heights of Drive, the directors previous film and a far superior one at that. 7/10