Director Nicholas Winding Refn’s Drive was one of 2011’s most brutal, stylish, and heralded films. The story of a reserved, talented stunt/getaway driver beginning to fight for someone and something he cares about, Drive was gorgeous, passionate, and subtle in generating its various payoffs. This summer’s Only God Forgives seems like a spiritual successor in many ways at the outset, though it was penned and planned even before Refn started on his Drive script; it reunites the writer-director with his star, the current ideal specimen of jawlines and abdominals Ryan Gosling, and once again places him in the role of a silent protagonist involved in the criminal underworld. Only this go-around sees Gosling’s Julian ruling over Thai slums with a not-quite-iron fist and the bankroll from his family’s drug-smuggling operation. When Julian’s brother Billy is viciously murdered as retribution for raping a young girl, Julian engages in a personal vendetta against the retired police chief who not only sanctions such savage justice but also doles it out.
Story has not been Refn’s strong suit throughout his filmography, though his penchant for character work has almost always made up for it. Only God Forgives is an unfortunate example in which the director’s flashy visuals and ear for a great score are not joined by a great arc for his protagonist. Julian is joined in Thailand by his mother (the wonderfully scene-devouring, vitriolic Kristin Scott Thomas) shortly after his brother’s death. The Oedipal tones flow hot and heavy in the stunningly photographed scenes between Gosling and Thomas, suggesting not just serious mommy issues but also a severe lack of self-image on Julian’s part. And yet he doesn’t get past these deficits. He doesn’t grow or change. He’s stagnant and uninteresting, which are the last two words I’d use to describe the mesmerizing scenes of violence in the movie. By the end, Julian has become nothing more than an exhausted trope with nowhere to go and nothing to aspire to, much like he was at the start. We don’t know very much about Julian in the beginning and it feels like we know even less about him by the credits. That’s not to say he’s an enigma like the mysterious Driver or One-Eye from Valhalla Rising. Instead, his lack of development leaves him a weaker and unredeemed person which is rather unsatisfying and very disappointing.
The plot and pacing do nothing to help the cause either. The first hour of the film is a long and drawn-out demonstration of the rules of the criminal world and a set-up for the more interesting final act. Filled with attractive, if overdone visuals and grindingly heavy-handed symbolism, the movie’s opening two-thirds are frankly boring. The monotony is only broken up by a small amount of astoundingly gruesome kills which are admittedly cool in execution, if empty in purpose. Refn’s story feels like a short film stretched out to fill ninety minutes. Then the third act begins and suddenly the entire plotline is unfolded and then crammed into the last half-hour. We’re finally given a reason for Julian’s mental malnourishment – except it’s in the form of a throwaway line by his mother Crystal. Only God Forgives’ spot-lit fight sequence comes and goes with great choreography but minimal impact as Refn rushes to get us to the conclusion. It all feels terribly off. If he hadn’t wasted so much time on intermittent scenes of illusory images that may or may not be dream sequences and fantasies, he may have had a chance to further develop the people we’re supposed to care about.
What you are getting for your money are handsome and efficient cinematography, a thumping T
hai-electronic score by returning composer Cliff Martinez, and some of the more disturbing scenes of gory killing this decade. Director of photography Larry Smith nearly goes overboard with ink-black shadows, ultra-high contrast, and eye-widening neon hues. However, he shows just enough restraint and battles Refn just enough to result in remarkably crisp and colorful imagery that shows that power of digital camerawork. Martinez’ fantastic beats combine the bassy nighttime tunes of Drive with the native drums and sounds of Thailand, leading to a soundtrack that will have you bumping your head and feet even as the unenviable players move about and murder on Refn’s stage.
I would never say that every film must display optimism or a hugely kinetic character arc, but even the dark, subdued Drive teased hope and redemption and a change of heart for the Driver. Only God Forgives is just empty and it leads nowhere if not to an unfulfilling, passive ending. Refn’s eye catches everything, but it works against him here when it captures the dullness of unmoving protagonists and the dreariness of a story with virtually no reason to be told. That should be a damning thing to say about a story with murder, mothers, justice, and the people who carry it out.
Rating: It’s easy on the eyes and pleasing to the ear, but the unfocused story, underdeveloped characters, and lousy structure will leave you unsatisfied and disappointed, even if you make it through the considerable violence. (4/10)
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