In context of
his filmography, it is relevant to know that Nicolas Winding Refn intended
to make Only God Forgives prior to his last film. On the most immediate and direct
level, this is significant for the unsuspecting audience members who were drawn
in by the much more commercially accessible Drive.
It carries another significance for those already familiar with the filmmaker’s
work, as Refn’s style and approach to storytelling has developed and matured
out of the Tarantino-inspired postmodern Danish gangster film which put him on
the map in the mid 1990s.
Despite the violent content which many
critics have bemoaned, I actually found Only God Forgives to be quite restrained. Those
who aren’t complaining about the violence will surely whine about the slow pace
and sparse dialogue. This would not have been an issue were it not for the
stars attached, specifically Drive
star Ryan Gosling. Although I can certainly understand the reasons for an
image-driven style of filmmaking, this particular attempt likely would have been much
better received had it been made after Valhalla
Rising rather than Drive.
As complex as Only God Forgives is, the
storyline can be summed up rather quickly. Gosling is at the forefront of the
narrative as Julian, a drug dealer running an underground boxing ring in Bangkok, forced to
enact revenge when his brother is murdered. This is not truly a revenge film,
however, and Julian’s thirst for revenge is hardly his own. Julian’s brother
(Tom Burke) is a despicable human being. In the few moments we spend with him
prior to his death, he assaults a brothel owner, harasses a room of
prostitutes, before raping and murdering a pubescent girl. It is no surprise that Julian is
willing to let his brother’s death go unpunished, until the arrival of his
foul-mouthed mother, Crystal (Kristin Scott Thomas). Spewing hate from every
orifice, even in the direction of her only surviving son, Crystal seeks revenge on the man responsible
for the death of Billy.
Billy is killed
by the father of the girl he raped, but the man responsible for his death is a
frightening police officer named Chang (Vithaya Pansringarm), who dispenses
justice as though he were God. Religion and spirituality is a huge part of the
film’s narrative, and Chang is an untouchable character of Old Testament rage,
wielding a sword to take off limbs or end a life as he sees fit. Fans of
traditional revenge films should understand that Chang is a character of
immense metaphorical meaning, and Julian taking him on is often as futile as
shaking fists at the sky to fight God.
In some ways, you could certainly
argue that Only God Forgives is
evidence that Refn has continued in a similar path as Tarantino, pillaging and
combining elements of beloved films for inspiration to create wholly unique
experiences. The difference between Refn and Tarantino is the type of films
that they reference. While Tarantino digs deeper into the frivolity of genre
pictures (most recently venturing into spaghetti westerns with Inglourious Basterds and Django Unchained), Refn instead pays
homage to cult films and artsploitation classics known only by dedicated
cinephiles. The mere fact that Only God
Forgives is dedicated to Alejandro Jodorowsky should provide footnotes in
understanding Refn’s stylistic choices. Anyone unaware of who Jodorowsky is may
be better off skipping this shocking arthouse puzzler, which is much more
interested in imagery and metaphor than coherent storyline.
Then again, Tarantino also often
chooses some rare cult classics to reference as well, so much that his largest
fanbase may be oblivious to the original source material. The difference is a
sense of humor, which reached nearly slapstick levels in Django Unchained. This helps to make the ultraviolence of
Tarantino’s films more accessible, and perhaps this is what also makes Only God Forgives too relentless in its
scenes of torture and abuse. The violence and gore is only a fraction of what
was seen in the remake of Evil Dead
(another film in desperate need of comic relief), but the disorienting nature
of Refn’s Only God Forgives seems to
compound the effects of the more harrowing sequences.
As is the case with any Gaspar Noé (Irreversible, Enter the Void) or Jodorowsky film, you may leave the theater
hating Only God Forgives, but there
are images which will be taken from the viewing experience which will stay
imprinted in your mind far longer than all of the blockbusters you love. These
filmmakers don’t make films for a Friday night date; they make movies for
discussion and debate. Films that inspire us to think for ourselves, rather than
simply being told; cinema created from inspiration and ideas, rather than as
a product to be sold. Refn’s latest film may not be for everyone. In fact, I’m
not even sure if I like it all that much. I do, however, respect him a great
deal for choosing to return to a passion project of such experimental nature
after having his first big break in Hollywood.
I might not have enjoyed Only God
Forgives, but with each minute I spend thinking about it, my appreciation
for it grows. This may very well be a masterpiece of cinema, even if it is a
failure as a movie.
Entertainment Value:
7/10
Quality of
Filmmaking: 9/10
Historical
Significance: 8/10
