Film Review: Only God Forgives (18), (France/Thailand/U.S.A./Sweden 2013) (Director: Nicolas Winding Refn), Saturday 03.08.2013 15:30, The Cameo Cinema, Screen One, Edinburgh

This is a re-teaming-up of director & star, who had worked together on 'Drive' 2011. I had seen Drive at the cinema when it was released and although found it enjoyable, also found it to be all surface and one of the most empty films I'd seen for some years. I certainly did not see cause for raving as some others did.

Only God Forgives is essentially the same film, though with all elements 'turned-up'. The pacing was so slow that it felt faintly preposterous. The lead actor (Ryan Gosling) appears to say even less and is even more impenetrable. It could be said that the film-makers mistake lack of detail for mystery & intrigue. The soundtrack is impressive and even more throbbing. The lighting even more neon to the point where some entire frames look queasily ill. The violence is extreme to a point of being uncomfortable, I considered walking out and I have a high threshold. The film is both nihilistic and narcissistic.

The film ostensibly concerns revenge, though this is never really fleshed out, and is just a means of having a frame to give a context to the violence, which is the real focus of the work of Refn & Gosling. If you were being generous you could state that the film has elements of culture clash and outsider ignorance of local customs & ways. Or the culture clash could be seen outsider stupidity, which could have been displayed in any culture.

This is a truly vacuous film though at least there is some enjoyable sounds and watchable lighting. I would not waste your time by recommending this for anyone's enjoyment.  

Rating: 02/10.