Only God Forgives- Ryan Gosling

I get such mixed feelings about this movie... Part of me feels it is misunderstood that's why a few people really love it as it may be directed towards them. Other part of me feels it's probably a pretentious piece of shit. Where the director is sitting there basically saying "I'm so much smarter then my audience look how arty I am" while the audience is sitting there thinking "pull your fucken head in mate you aren't that smart...

Any thoughts from someone who has seen it?

I went in not expecting much based on what I read here, so I got a little better than I expected, it definitely was not what I was hoping for after the trailer. It was ok I don't regret watching it but it wasnt drive at all. I think I got it but maybe I didn't. If I had gone in with the expectations that were built by the trailer then I too would have been pissed off, for some reason I built it up to be some new Oldboy like awesome hammer fighting like movie which it was not

Really? I didn't get it, that's why I hate it... Come on

I watched it twice on the weekend just because I wasn't sure if I missed some undertones in my first watching. I get the artsy side of it, I loved the cinematography.. no matter how they want to twist it the whole thing left me wanting.

While beautifully shot, the movie was terribly lacking in direction and substance.

I went in wanting something of substance, not necessarily wanting Drive 2, but somethingsimilar. Both Drive and Bronson were stellar movies. Only God Forgives feels like a cheap riff on No Country for Old Men. His cop of justice feels like a half-assed Chigur.

5/10

Guess it's cool to hate on the movie because it doesn't adhere to the standard narrative forms. Refn is a master of his craft, of that it would be hard to argue, even if you don't like the style of the story he told.

Some people need more defined characters and motives, and one true hero or antihero. I can understand that, and why you would dislike this movie. Some like coffee, some tea, etc.

Some say that's it's too artsy. I wouldn't even call it an 'artsy' film, it's just Refn's style to leave aspects of all his players on the stage open to interpretation, and let you form your own opinions without being hit over the head with a forced character archetype. It's just another form of narrative.

I enjoy the style and non-predefined characters a lot, and the Bangkok vibe is a plus for me as someone who likes certain Asian cultures, so I'm going to commit movie heresy and say I thought this movie was better than drive, and I noticed Refn improving as a director and coming into his own a bit more.

If nothing else you have to be excited for someone who doesn't play it safe in Cinema directing/storytelling, because it's become really formulistic/safe recently.

For those that say it's pretentious, I just don't understand in what context you're speaking. To me some lone mortal that saves the world with no shades of grey to his character is pretentious. THAT is what feels fake and showy, and full of itself.

8.5/10 - biggest knock was the jaw pulling scene for some obvious reasons, but for all most films get wrong it's hard to let one scene reflect too negatively on some great aspects of the movie for me.

It was decent, but imho wasn't one of Refns best films.

Was like a poor mans version of David Lynch.

This vibrant defense of Only God Forgives is probably more potent with the people who did not see the film considering two of the main three characters are archetypal to the extreme. That kinda works for the cop, giving him an almost supernatural aura, but it is just unbearable with the mother. I maintain my original statement:

Refn shoots for super stylish Oedipus-fueled greek tragedy and in the end it is very well shot, very ballsy in how extreme the execution of the concept is, but it is also very very dumb. It's made even more frustrating by the fact you can feel a great movie was almost there. Sadly, it did not materialize.

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brekk_sl said:

Holy fuck, I want that hour and a half of my life back. That was so weird, stupid, creepy, and I don't know what else.

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That is my reaction to. I thought drive was an excellent movie this movie I have no words for just I want that part of my life back and pretend I never saw this.

While I'm not mad about watching this movie, it was definitely fucked up and I won't be watching it ever again.

The filmography was unbearable. I like Ryan Gosling, I do. I wanted to like this. I wanted to put on those Emperor's Clothes. But I couldn't.

Szlia_sl said:

That kinda works for the cop, giving him an almost supernatural aura

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When you pull a sword out of nowhere, and happen to be there whenever there's divine retribution to be made, I would get rid of "almost" .

I loved OGF but I totally agree about the film's flaws, Refn nailed it with Drive but IMO went over the board with OGF, him a european filmmaker trying to roll on Johnnie To / Won Kar Wai universes with neonoir setup was a long shot.

I don't understand the point of the mom character at all. Like, was it on purpose that she was the most stereotypical and cliched cunt in the world, or what? Movie was...pretty I guess? But my god there were so few redeeming qualities =\

So if i'm not a hipster will I enjoy this movie or not?

Only one way to find out.