ONLY GOD FORGIVES (2013) review, "Wanna fight?..."

ONLY GOD FORGIVES is a 2013 film starring Ryan Gosling, Kristin Scott Thomas and Vithaya Pansringarm, written and directed by Nicholas Winding Refn. The film follows Julian (Ryan Gosling), a drug trafficker in Bangkok whose thriving criminal life is interrupted after he is urged into revenge by his mother (Kristin Scott Thomas) after his brother's murder.

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The definition of style over substance, Only God Forgives is not for the squeamish - however those who can stomach it may be driven away by its potentially frustrating slow pace and reliance on surreal, often incoherent imagery.

Ryan Gosling, as aforementioned is the rather silent protagonist Julian, pressured and ultimately used by his mother as a means to revenge. Regarding a performance, there is honestly little to say: he utters few words and when words are spoken they are simplistic, leading to the bizarrely short and unintentionally chuckle-worthy quote embellished within the trailer and in the title of this very review. 

Instead, a majority of his performance is through body language, gestures and his facial expressions and to an extent, it works. It in an odd oxymoron develops his character as underdeveloped, with Julian often trapped in his thought seen in several seemingly nonsensical visions throughout the film that adhere only to dream logic - understandable considering who this film is dedicated to. 

In addition to Gosling is the supporting cast, with first-time actor Vithaya Pansringarm as Chang deserving an honourable mention as Refn intended this film to be a star vehicle for said actor - which of course has never came to fruition due to the scathingly divisive opinions leaning mostly on the negative. It's a shame really, as his minimal character development detracts from his performance which is honestly great. Whenever he is displayed on screen, an unquestionable and wonderfully menacing feeling begins to arise from his unpredictability, even seemingly disappearing into thin air at one point. It is that unpredictability that is the double-edged sword as his character, not to far from Julian in communication skills lacks character, with an example being his family introduced not to demonstrate a lighter side of his character but as bait to be killed off to siphon a cause for revenge other than his quest for counter-revenge against his initial hit placed by Crystal - Julian's mother.

A recurring issue with Only God Forgives is a lack of a character for an audience or viewer to latch onto as none are distinctly likeable, for reasons not left up to the actors in their performance. The character of Crystal is pivotal in this issue, foul-mouthed and all around sleazy, it makes it difficult to like her character and even places her in the same realm as the antagonist, putting the revenge into full swing and indirectly bringing the end to dozens of people's lives in an often brutal manner similar to Chang, however directly he horrifically mutilated others. Kristin Scott Thomas does her best with the material that she's given - with what she's given being reviled even after her fate is sealed.

You get the feeling that this is exactly what Nicholas Winding Refn wanted to make when he made this, with some superb direction peppered throughout the film, not far from his last sleeper hit: Drive. It contains the common marks of his films, simply gorgeous cinematography with each shot literally oozing neon colours in what is to be described as some of the most beautiful shots ever committed to film (including bewildering hand imagery relating to Gosling's character), hyper-violence to the nth degree and snail-like pacing. 

The latter two points in particular generated controversy aplenty for this film with the rather bemused audience at the Cannes Film Festival as an example booing the film in a rather childish manner. It takes a similar structure to Drive, the only point of comparison worth discussing as the two films are entirely different in content, and that is the slow-moving and sometimes surreal scenes are punctuated by excessive outbursts of violence before rinsing and repeating. Of course, it is much more complex than that, but that is as if the two films are broken down into their skeletal components.

Inherently, Only God Forgives is not a poorly acted or directed film, I personally believe it is the script and the story attached to that script is what brings it down. It lacks cohesion and suffers from an aforementioned lack of likeable characters, as memorable as they are, you are either indifferent or hate the characters presented to you. The dialogue, when there is any, is oddly clunky, but depending on how you see it that can add to or detract from the film like how David Lynch uses it to a great effect in his many of his films.

Final props go to the cinematographer and composer for this film, Larry Smith and Cliff Martinez respectively. They really do enhance the dream-like and surreal atmosphere created in the film and it is one of the most aesthetically pleasing films I have seen in a while, the track that plays from the ending onto the credits as a quality that will stick in my thoughts for days...

...and that is what Only God Forgives is. Love it or hate it, it will stick with you. The imagery, the sound, the gory and shamelessly excessive violence, it all comes together to create an ultimately memorable film that will sadly be remembered for what it did worst, instead of what it did best. Don't believe everything you read about this film, it is certainly flawed, but it is nowhere near as bad as most give it - an open mind is required.

"Time to meet the devil..."

SLOW WEST (2015) review, "He had his heart in the wrong place..."

SLOW WEST is a 2015 film starring Kodi Smit-McPhee, Michael Fassbender and Ben Mendelsohn, written and directed by first-timer John MacLean. The film follows the bare bones Western; a boy is on a journey west to find his love, accompanied by Silas, his mysterious "chaperone".

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It's hard to believe - amidst the summer blockbuster season comes a small and lovingly crafted film set within one of the most depreciated genres of cinema.

Slow West is just as the title suggests, it burns slowly and unapologetically so, taking its time to grasp onto its narrative just as the lead attempts to grasp onto his bounty-ridden love. However, when it does grasp, it goes with flying colours, delivering visceral and oddly surreal action sequences that clash playfully with the clean and heavily saturated landscapes and cinematography.

The cast populating those sequences are all commendable in their efforts, McPhee as the feeble but strong willed Jay, Fassbender as the jaded crook with a heart of gold Silas and Mendelsohn as the fur-coat wearing and sinister villain Payne. Fassbender especially steals the show, his character presented perfectly, chuckling on a cigar even in the most dire of consequences. Deferring to the lead's love interest, Caren Pistorius deserves an honourable mention as she dominates the screen during the film's finale, with her character left in a state that can only be described as bitter-sweet. 

Written and directed by aforementioned first-feature-length-timer John MacLean, it is certainly an impressive first effort. While it may be the definition of a simplistic story, never has it been taught so well and with such straight forward focus when it gets going. The film may suffer for some due to its meandering closer to the beginning, indulged in its own pretty visuals and minimalist style, this becomes a non-issue after the first plot-related bomb shell drops - leaving you wondering what made you feel even slightly bored in the first place. 

It brings the unquestionable moral that was the Wild West: brutal and often prone to life or death scenarios as everyone scrapes by, the scraping by being the bounties that are picked up by wanderers, each poster proclaiming "Wanted dead or alive", which is adequately put as "Wanted dead or dead". Dialogue between characters is often underplayed, the faces and the guns with those faces do the talking. The bonding process between Jay and Silas is a key example of this, the first moment in which they reluctantly work together leads to the deaths of multiple people, actions speaking louder than words. The last shots of the film hammer this home with each of the body count tallied up in a remorseless fashion, showing the count close and in grisly detail. While this may seem ham-fisted upon reading, it feels natural as you absorb what the film has to offer and succeeds in its job of making you think of the consequences of the actions made throughout.

The score by Jed Kurzel is a minimal aspect of this film, and to that it works to it's advantage, accentuating the slow build-up and outburst that takes place with plucky strings and violins soaked with dread respectively, taking an ambient back-seat instead of it being used entirely to demonstrate action - proving the age-old sign of intelligence as when to know when not to utilise the score in addition of when to utilise it. 

Cinematography as aforementioned demands to be discussed, as done by Robbie Ryan. This film is beyond gorgeous, the colours pop perfectly within the daytime scenes and evoke the quality of an old, classic Western, the cinematography alone makes this film worth a view and also shows a tip of the hat to all of the older influences that this film has.

Overall, Slow West is a wonder for fans of the genre and is also accessible to those who generally lack interest in Westerns, but if that is the case, it may not win you over, but it will certainly make your appreciation for films such as this deeper. It's only once in a while that you see a film like Slow West pop up without taking any of the well-deserved spotlight - and that's a damn shame. 

"There's more to life than surviving..."

BRAZIL (1985) review: "It's only a state of mind..."

BRAZIL is a 1985 film starring Jonathan Pryce, co-written and directed by Terry Gilliam. The film follows Sam Lowry (Jonathan Pryce) trying to find the literal woman in his dreams while working at his dead-end job at a bureaucracy in a less than ideal world.

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The bizarrely titled Brazil is the best that Gilliam has to offer, blending elements of dystopia and totalitarianism with goofy slapstick and dysfunctional characters to create the delightful and harrowing contradictory world that is unforgettable.

Jonathan Pryce stars as the aforementioned Sam Lowry, a lowly office worker who is content with his routine until he stumbles upon the woman of his dreams. This is the breakout role for Pryce and is perhaps the best of his career. Talk about getting it right first time, the character and charm given to the Everyman Sam Lowry by Pryce is unmatchable, a role you couldn't imagine seen in the hands of another actor after seeing how it is handled. At times, intelligent and with a sharp wit, other times barely comprehending how the world around him works and how to interact with it, often breaking into bouts of sarcasm to help make sense of it all.

A majority of the cast handle their performances with ease, with the most notable performances being with Robert De Niro, Ian Holm and Michael Palin. De Niro is quirky and as meticulous as he has always been within his performance with Ian Holm being largely similar with the addition of his nervous nature and constant stuttering creating some laughs. Palin as a character is downright disturbing in this film, introduced as the higher-up and more successful friend with an air of mystery, it only gets worse for Sam from then on out. When I say a majority handle their performances with ease, that exception is sadly Kim Greist as Jill, with her performance and character left with something to be desired. It still works for the film's overall plot and tone, but most of her delivery with lines fell flat, perhaps with one or two memorable lines throughout the entire runtime.

Co-written with Tom Stoppard and Charles McKeown whilst directed by Gilliam, Brazil is a well written and directed film. The writing is where the majority of the bizarre elements come into play, the aforementioned combination of slapstick and brooding totalitarian society creates a concoction of a story that is beyond memorable. The vast majority of the dialogue consists of witty interaction between one character and another, their interaction proving one of the film’s greatest strengths, how it bounces between the characters and creates a playful tone in an otherwise distraught world.

The motives of Kim Greist’s character and the factor of terrorism is handled in a flimsy manner however, Jill effectively has her life stripped from her by Lowry and yet she is still expected to fall in love with him by the film’s conclusion, making the writing feel slightly formulaic as it could just easily be attributed to the film’s whimsical nature with Lowry having consistent daydreams and she is more likely to love his character, which is similar to the acts of terrorism seen throughout the film also. On its initial conception, it adds to the bizarre effect, with these terror attacks happening on a regular basis to the point where they are no longer frightening to the upper-class and citizens working for the government not involved. A particular scene shows a high-class restaurant being attacked with bloody and mangled survivors clamouring for help, but they give it only slight notice and continue with their meal as if nothing substantial happened.

Direction is well done with one or two mishaps, Terry Gilliam definitely surpassed his own vision while creating Brazil, crafting an almost fully realised world with some pretty excessive detail, kudos to the production design and art team with some incredible sets and matte paintings, a nod to one particular scene including Robert De Niro and a zip line. Actors are guided through the Gilliam’s vision with ample precision, albeit Gilliam himself was reportedly unpleased with Kim Greist’s performance as Jill and as a result, cut more of her scenes out of the film than is what is already in the film, which is a fair bit still, not counting the infamous “Love Conquers All” studio cut.

The score by Michael Kamen is pivotal to the film’s overall success, from the iconic theme by Geoff Muldaur that serves as the leitmotif of the film, a string of notes that follows Sam Lowry as the passes through the story, particularly during an important moment related to Lowry. The theme that plays during the office segments of the film has had a life of its own also, being used in several different projects, mostly trailers however, including the trailer for Wall-E or Being John Malkovich. A final notable element of the score is the ending track which in itself is notable for its creativity and a majority of the score serving as altered versions of one another to serve the mood of the scene on-screen.

Overall, Brazil is an exceptional example of cult cinema in which everything comes together its own wonderfully dysfunctional way. It sticks to your brain and never let’s go due to its incredibly unique nature.