ONLY GOD FORGIVES

ONLY GOD FORGIVES (2013)
Director: Nicholas Winding Refn
Stars: Ryan Gosling, Kristin Scott Thomas, Vithaya Pansringarm

SYNOPSIS - Julian (Gosling) is an American expat, living in exile with his brother, with whom he manages a Muay Thai Boxing ring.  When said brother gets himself killed after doing something very, very, bad, Julian is visited by his terrifying gangster mother (Thomas), who demands vengeance for the death of her favorite son.  Local cop Lieutenant Chang (Pansringarm), an equally vengeful man, with a predilection for dismemberment, is the only thing that stands in her path, leaving Julian caught in the crossfire.

BREAKDOWN - Nicholas Winding Refn again teams with a near-mute Ryan Gosling to sneak a bizarro, art house homage to Jodorowsky into mainstream theaters, under the guise of a "thrill ride" Trojan horse.  This time, the parallels to good ol' Alejandro are slightly more direct, with a strong emphasis on body mutilation, religious iconography, and Freudian (barely) subtext.  
   

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