Vonia Only God Forgives (2013) Director: Nicolas Winding Refn Watched: 7/24/18 Rating: 5/10 {Clue: Primary filming location or Krung Thep Maha Nakhon} Blurring the line between retribution and revenge as it scrutinizes morality, A highly stylized red and blue hued film with sets and shots that belong in a fine arts gallery, Nicolas Winding Refn choreographs/orchestrates something as visually stunning and brilliant as it is meretricious and tedious to watch, Goes out of its way to be excessively savage, violent, vulgar, and awash in blood, Keeps the pace deliberately stilted and the dialogue unnaturally theatrical- though the electrifying electro-rock ambient score almost turns it into a good thing, Oedipus complex themes artfully integrated into a tribute to the Asian revenge film, Keen performances by Gosling, Pansringarm, & (especially) Thomas and alluring visuals can only lure so much. ---- Acrostic is a form of poetry where the first letters in each line, paragraph, or word are doubly used to spell a name, phrase, or word. The word "acrostic" comes from the Greek words "akros" (outermost) and "stichos" (line of verse). Read the appropriate letters in the poem vertically to reveal the extra message, called the "acrostich"!

José Pedro Gomes A simple story centred in a Freudian thematic (Oedipus complex) with a strong sense of justice. A visually astonishing picture with textures of decadence and hope in a dreamlike Lynchian ambience.The major number of reviewers here simply don't have the cinematographic skills to properly appreciate a good film as a piece of art and not just entertaining. The substantiation of their ratings is hollow as stock exchange shares, although it weights unjustly on the ranking of a film.

tfminfl So it's 2001 meets Kickboxer... Yea that's about right. Ryan Gosling plays Julian, a drug smuggler living in Bangkok, along with his bro, Billy. And well, Billy is a major douche bag and is caught red handed killing a 16 year old prostitute, and the cops arrive, but apparently they do things differently over there, or the cop in charge, Chang, is a psycho... He brings the murder victims father to the scene, and introduces him to the murderer, Billy, then the father introduces a baseball bat to Billy's skull, sweet revenge right? Well Chang doesn't quite see it that way, in his eyes, the victims father played a large role in her murder, he allowed his own daughter to prostitute herself to help him pay the bills, don't worry, he doesn't kill the poor guy, just takes an arm...the killing part, thats left up to Julian, when mommy comes to town. Kristin Scott Thomas plays wicked mean mom Crystal, who may or may not have had Julian kill his own father. However Julian shows some heart and understands the murder victims father point of view, show some mercy and lets him live. Mommy Dearest is pissed!! She puts a hit out on Chang and quickly realizes he is merciless, and one hell of a Karaoke singer!! The movie is a bit slow going, but its just so darn pretty to look at!! Cool flick tho, worth a watch!!

leethomas-11621 Beautifully (deceptively) quiet, shockingly violent, ultimately captivating. I can't remember when last I felt (in a good way) the director's presence in a movie so much. Still, a lot of it is style over substance. Never got emotionally involved with the characters or carried away with the plot. Like the girls in the club, I had to close my eyes when the violence got too bloody. (viewed 9/16)