Only God Forgives (2013)

Julian, a drug-smuggler thriving in Bangkok's criminal underworld, sees his life get even more complicated when his mother compels him to find and kill whoever is responsible for his brother's recent death.

Director:

Nicolas Winding Refn

Writer:

Nicolas Winding Refn

Stars:

Ryan Gosling, Kristin Scott Thomas, Vithaya Pansringarm

14 wins & 19 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Ryan Gosling	...	Julian
Kristin Scott Thomas	...	Crystal
Vithaya Pansringarm	...	Chang
Gordon Brown	...	Gordon
Yayaying Rhatha Phongam	...	Mai
Tom Burke	...	Billy
Sahajak Boonthanakit	...	Kim
Pitchawat Petchayahon	...	Phaiban
Charlie Ruedpokanon	...	Daeng
Kowit Wattanakul	...	Choi Yan Lee (as Kovit Wattanakul)
Wannisa Peungpa	...	Kanita
Narucha Chaimareung	...	Papa San
Danai Thiengdham	...	Waiter / Li Po
Wittchuta Watjanarat	...	Ma Fong
Nophand Boonyai	...	Charlie Ling

Storyline

Bangkok. Ten years ago Julian killed a man and went on the run. Now he manages a Thai boxing club as a front for a drugs operation. Respected in the criminal underworld, deep inside, he feels empty. When Julian's brother murders an underage prostitute, the police call on retired cop Chang - the Angel of Vengeance. Chang allows the father to kill his daughter's murderer, then 'restores order' by chopping off the man's right hand. Julian's mother Crystal - the head of a powerful criminal organization - arrives in Bangkok to collect her son's body. She dispatches Julian to find his killers and 'raise hell'.

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Plot Keywords:

thai boxing | vengeful | vengeance | thai police | punishment | 

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Taglines:

Time to Meet The Devil

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Genres:

Crime | Drama

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for strong bloody violence including grisly images, sexual content and language

Details

Official Sites:

Official site [France]

Country:

Denmark France USA Sweden

Language:

English Thai

Release Date:

22 May 2013 (France)

Also Known As:

Só Deus Perdoa

Filming Locations:

Bangkok, Thailand

Box Office

Budget:

$4,800,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$313,958, 21 July 2013, Limited Release

Gross USA:

$778,565, 1 September 2013

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$9,743,738, 18 August 2013

Company Credits

Production Co:

Space Rocket Nation, Gaumont, Wild Bunch

Technical Specs

Runtime:

90 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The fight scene between Chang and Julian turned out differently in an earlier version of the script: Chang and Julian wore traditional clothes and before fighting they both performed a traditional dance, and at some point of the fight Julian was winning until Chang says "I forgive you" and ends up beating Julian.

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Goofs

After the fight of the opening scene, the arm of the winner is raised by the referee and the defeated fighter is picked up by his helpers in blue. When the camera cuts to the other side of the ring, this is shown again.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Julien: [in Thai] Go.

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Crazy Credits

The very first credit to come up at the end of the film is a dedication reading "for Alejandro Jodorowsky".

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Connections

Referenced in The Cinema Snob: Drive (2014)

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Soundtracks

Sister, Pt. 1
Composed by Anthony Gonzalez
Performed by Cliff Martinez feat: Gregory Tripi
Published by Delabel Editions

User Reviews

Ambitious one...

After Drive, i was very curious to see what he was doing next.

This movie was fairly ambitious in its own ways, visually is a stunning mix of colors and beautiful composed shots, which elevates the whole mood of the movie. The story itself is a fairly simple one, however it is told in a way in which depended heavily on the actors performance, and this is were the movie fails. the way some of the actors fail to act the parts almost like shadows of themselves, sometimes overacting and being too much aware of the camera detracts from Nicolas intentions. Gosling is good here, so is Kristin Scott Thomas, the rest of the cast is hit or miss in some scenes. The overall surreal way of telling this story could've worked a lot better if they had solved those issues. I liked the subtext behind the whole relationship between Chang (who in is own ways has a twisted God complex) and Julian's character.

In the end it makes me a little sad, i think with a little more time put into working with the actors, it could've elevated the movie to another level, also without spoiling anything, i think the out of the box scenes could've been pushed a little more!! 7 out of 10!!