Looking for a riveting plot with high stakes, twists and turns? ...You'll hate it.

Looking for characters you can relate to and root for? ...You'll hate it.

A Ryan Gosling fan? ...You'll hate it.

A Nicolas Winding Refn fan but only Drive and Bronson? ...You'll hate it.

A Terrence Malick fan? ...Okay. Now, we're getting somewhere. Just take away the wonder and good vibes and... wait, you'll probably hate it.

In all seriousness, man, oh man. Only God Forgives is a tough film with a limited audience that will test the patience and the stomachs of even the most seasoned and open-minded cinephiles. It's a LONG 90 minutes, bleaker in tone than I think most people have the capacity for, and scraps traditional storytelling and character development in favor of more abstract devices, the effectiveness of which depends on the viewer, I suppose. It's also extremely violent in a very graphic, brutal, and merciless way.

The Drive factor seems to be a significant point of contention in going into the film so let me just say if you didn't like Drive, you'll hate Only God Forgives, for the same reasons and more. If you loved Drive, leave your expectations at the door. Only God Forgives is not Drive AT ALL.

Personally, I loved it. For one thing, nobody's going to disagree with the quality of the filmmaking. It's some of the most unique, immaculate, and virtuosic ever, period. Cliff Martinez' soundtrack is phenomenal and so intense, it almost feels like it's a physical force in the film world itself. Vithaya Pansringarm is one of the most intense screen presences I've seen as of late, Kristin Scott Thomas is a lot of fun, and Tom Burke is one of the most hideous characters I've seen in a film since Fincher's The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo.

Ryan Gosling is a strange one. He doesn't talk or emote much. Indeed, he's more of a vehicle for the film than an actual character. Still, I thought he was developed in his own way (usually through abstract or symbolic means) and his character is very much in keeping with the primary themes in Refn's work as a whole.

I loved the tone of the film (if you're going to go dark, go dark), I loved the dreamlike quality, and honestly thought there were some interesting ideas going on under the surface that were handled in some very unconventional albeit possibly hit and miss sort of ways. I thought overall, it fit very well into Refn's work as a whole.

Would recommend to fans of Gaspar Noe and fans of Refn who've seen the Pusher trilogy and Valhalla Rising. I think Valhalla Rising is especially similar to this one in more ways than one but especially story and tone. I'm honestly not sure how that one wasn't as maligned as Only God Forgives. I'd recommend anyone on the fence about this one to check out Valhalla Rising first. I also think fans of Spring Breakers might have a decent predisposition to this one.

If you've got a Drive chip on your shoulder, are a traditionalist in terms of character and plot or can't help but watch films in more of a screenwriter-ly mindset, or watch films primarily for escapism/entertainment, don't even bother giving this one a chance.

Glad to see your review was mostly positive (and spoiler free!)

Unfortunately it has a limited release and isn't being shown anywhere around me.

It's available for purchase on OnDemand, and when I get the chance, I'll order it.

Interesting note - it would cost me less to order it on my tv then to actually
go out and purchase tickets to see it at the theater.

I cannot wait to see this, due to this reason:

Quoted from James McClung Would recommend to fans of Gaspar Noe and fans of Refn who've seen the Pusher trilogy and Valhalla Rising... I also think fans of Spring Breakers might have a decent predisposition to this one.

I'm big on direction; especially direction which pushes boundaries. And from everything I have read, this is what it sounds like Refn has achieved here. Have read some reviews which called it the best film in Cannes; others written by people who couldn't sit through the whole thing. But that is to be expected, because when you push boundaries, there is always going to be people who dislike what you have produced, as it is completely opposite to what they were expecting.

So yeah, I'm eagerly anticipating the August UK release date.

I think this will be one of my 2013 film highlights.

That being said, I read the script, didn't think much of it; but then again, I disliked the script for Drive as well, despite really enjoying the final product.

And this proper made me chuckle:

Quoted from James McClung A Terrence Malick fan? ...Okay. Now, we're getting somewhere. Just take away the wonder and good vibes and... wait, you'll probably hate it.

Hey Toby you still have my e-mail?

Can you send me the script for Only God Forgives, if you still have it?  Thanks.  

I'll read it after I watch the movie.

Good review, James.  I loved Drive and when I heard about this I thought it was some kind of follow up.  I'm still going to check this out and hopefully enjoy it? lol.

The critics were WAY too harsh on this movie.

I really enjoyed this one. It wasn't a perfect film. In fact, I'd call it a minor misstep for Refn. But my god, does he have a clear and unique vision that is unlike anyone else in the movie making industry.

So there was much more story to this than I was led to believe. Furthermore, I didn't find the pacing to be all that slow. I was so intrigued that the 90 minutes flew by. It's really not that difficult to watch. Furthermore, the violence was pretty standard in my book. Then again, I just watched A Serbian Film a few weeks ago so my tolerance is pretty high.

Granted the story doesn't make a whole lot of sense at times. Events occur that are simply unexplainable. It can be hard to distinguish what's a dream and what's reality. And if you're looking for an explaination to it all, then you'll be sorely disappointed. Not only does the film find difficulty connecting every scene, but it's hard for the viewer to connect with the film. I liked Gosling's character in Drive. I connected with him. I didn't connect at all with Only God Forgives. And I think that's why the critics hated it so much.

The framing is impeccable, the colored lighting sets the mood, and the soundtrack is my favorite so far this year. Refn creates these beautiful environments and then places these god awful characters within them. The characters and the scenery often contradict each other.

In conclusion, Only God Forgives is a bad ass film. There are morsels of genius here but it does have it problems. As James said, if you hated Drive, you'll hate this film. Check out Valhalla Rising prior to this. And if you're a fan of Gaspar Noe, it's a must see.

I think this is where I fall into the category of popcorn chugging, blockbuster movie guy more than I can identify with most of the writers on here. For me, this was a tad underwhelming.

I loved Drive. I was immediately drawn into the look and feel of this film. The violence was more situational for me than graphic. That's why it worked.

I think Arnold had more lines in Terminator than Gosling had in this. I, as well, loved the look, tone and soundtrack. I knew I would. But, the end left such a bad taste in my mouth, I highly doubt I will watch it again. I didn't understand any of Gosling's character choices at the end or why. Yes, he was no great guy. I won't spoil anything here. It's worth one watch just for the narcissistic film direction that, unfortunately, wasn't good enough to carry complete lack of character motives by the end.

James

Yeah, critics were definitely too harsh here.

Style over substance to the extreme - mostly for the good. Loved the look and the soundtrack, the sparseness of the dialogue and characters was also a stand out, matched perfectly with the tone.

I didn't feel that the pacing was a major problem, the film was interesting enough, kept my attention but bordered on dullness at some part.

Strange too since I hated Drive but I felt this wasn't too bad. I'm a fan of Gaspar Noe, definitely got the Enter the Void vibe here.

The film reeks of potential but some of the strange writing choices were... well strange. Gosling's character was overshadowed by Thomas' and Pansringarm's characters. Both did a great job with it.

Not a bad film at all, a nice watch if you're into cerebral and atmospheric films.

One of the standout scenes in the trailer is when Gosling walks up to the dude and says, "Wanna fight?"

What I'd like to know is did Gosling kick his ass?  Maybe somebody could PM me with the answer so as not to give away the spoiler.

This film was fucking nuts.

Not in a good way, not in a bad way... just nuts.

I saw this in a fairly busy cinema and, as predicted, there were some walk-outs (1 group didn't even last 30 minutes, the other 2 left shortly after the gruesome torture scene).

So for everyone who hasn't seen this, what can you expect?

Well, imagine a film directed by Terrence Malick and Gaspar Noe's lovechild, co-written with Harmony Korine, based on an idea by Tarantino, and then you might have the slightest understanding of what to expect.

This was one of the most beautiful, best directed films I have had the pleasure of seeing in a little while... the scene where Ryan Gosling smashed the glass into that dude's face and then dragged him down the corridor by his teeth?! Wow! One of the best scenes, visually, from recent memory.

I absolutely loved how the majority of the shots were framed symmetrically, which doors, windows or corridors in the centre of the frame. The lighting was genius as well. All that neon was to die for.

Someone please give the cinematographer an Oscar!

Cliff Martinez did a brilliant job on the score, as well. The music throughout was superb.

I thought the performances were great. Kristin Scott Thomas was tremendous, as was the Thai guy who played Chang. Gosling was good as well, given what little he had to actually work with.

The main issue I had with the film was the story, or lack of. Whilst Refn is a tremendous director, I have never thought that his writing ability is anywhere near matching that of his direction. And whilst there was, normally, enough going on for me to ignore the lack of story, I think that is what made the ending, and overall viewing experience, fall slightly flat for me.

I don't want to go into the gropes of this in too much more detail, as to not spoil anything, but this film is the ultimate example of style-over-substance.

I would still highly recommend viewing it for those who haven't.

Quoted from Guest Unfortunately it has a limited release and isn't being shown anywhere around me. It's available for purchase on OnDemand, and when I get the chance, I'll order it. Interesting note - it would cost me less to order it on my tv then to actually go out and purchase tickets to see it at the theater.

That usually is the norm for the majority of films that get sucked up into VOD.
Only a small number of theaters will pick up films with VOD platforms, and those chains are usually owned by the distrubutors of that film. This can be favorable for small, low budget pictures, but VOD has yet in my view to catch up to people's perceptions.

Generally, the majority of theater chains won't even touch films that have a VOD platform. I'll catch up to this film on VUDU or wait a few months for video release.

That sucks.  I'm ordering the movie next week, though.

A little nervous....

Every review -- either they hate it or they love it.

One or the other.

I've never had such high expectations for a movie and been so let down.  What a pile of crap this film was.