Watched: Only God Forgives
There is a moment of this film of such unbridled ferocity that it shocked me out of my chair. Weirdly enough, for a film with so much violence and gore, it was entirely verbal, involving no physical contact, but sizzled with so much intimidation that it instantly changed my perception of Ryan Gosling’s character in this.
It’s also the moment where you’re shocked out of seeing this as a Drive spin-off - the Gosling of the sun-soaked Sallis adaptation was capable of great violence, but in such a muted and sinister way that it felt chillingly methodical. Here, that role is passed to another (Vithaya Pansringarm, who is terrifying), and while Gosling is often quiet, you can see the seething rage underneath. In one scene, he clenches his fists, and you can see his smoothly sculpted jawline start to quake with anger. It’s rendered with such specificity that it’s hard not to look away.
It’s easy to see why this polarised people. It revels in Oedipal horror, and features extended, agonising sequences of torture, but it uses blood as a canvas (much like Dredd). At times, it’s hard to stomach; at others, it’s utterly transfixing.