It turns out that
there is a fine line between a mercurial personality/film and a boring one. In Drive, the 2011 film that director and
star of Only God Forgives first worked
on prior to this, they achieved the former to great effect, pleasing audiences
and critics. The follow up to Drive
was always going be a tough prospect, but Only
God Forgives disappoints in the vital areas.
The acting surpasses
being staged to become frustrating. The narrative is beyond weak, attempting
depth by encompassing and transcending the Oedipal complex, which like some
post modern advertising campaigns makes the audience feel ignorant, when really
the fault lies with ostentatious filmmaking. If there is an opposite of
unquotable, the dialogue is that.
If it were not for the
technical beauty of Only God Forgives,
one would be forgiven for walking out. Every shot is stunningly framed;
essentially the mise-en-scene
(lighting, composition) is faultless and incredibly evocative. In the end, Only God Forgives is nothing more than
the cruel (and untrue) collection of blonde stereotypes: pretty but dumb.
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