Cannes 2013: 5 Reasons Only God Forgives Is A Must-See Film

rsz_first Nicolas Winding Refn is a Danish director known for his brutality, and unorthodox methods within his pictures. He cites how his parents loved French New Wave films (Or Nouvelle Vague) while he loathed them, and found a connection to a genre at the other end of the spectrum, that of the American horror, claiming The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (1974) as inspiration for his career. He is well known for his heightened ideas of characterization, his characters are always defined by their morality and inner soul, and are generally quite enigmatic. Refn became known in the nineties for his direction of the cult action film Pusher, and its subsequent sequels among other projects. In 2008 he directed the bizarre and surreal British film Bronson (2008), starring Tom Hardy, following that, he collaborated with Mads Mikkelsen once again to make Norse epic Valhalla Rising (2009) to generally mixed reviews. The director made some solid films, but mostly floundered in obscurity, until Drive (2011). Drive is widely considered one of the best films of 2011, and achieved financial, critical, and widespread acclaim for Refn. The neo-noir crime thriller packed a brutal, yet finely honed directorial punch that left many viewers longing for more of Refn's incredibly unique style. As it turns out, Only God Forgives (2013) isn't quite the film audiences and critics were expecting, as on its initial reception here in Cannes it received mostly negative reviews. Sure, Only God Forgives isn't Drive, and it isn't a mainstream film that most audiences will like. Drive was a much more inhibited, less daring cinematic venture. However, Only God Forgives (2013) packs a powerful visual gravitas, as well as a nightmarish and savage continuity that is not to be missed.
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Matt Holmes is the co-founder of What Culture, formerly known as Obsessed With Film. He has been blogging about pop culture and entertainment since 2006 and has written over 10,000 articles.