Refn does it again: Only God Forgives

Nicolas Refn, director of Drive and Valhalla Rising, brought another amazing movie to the screens with Only God Forgives. I heard about this movie from Evan and we watched it over break, and I have to say it was one of the most visually stunning movies I've seen. Refn paints the story more through the visuals than the dialogue, but the scenes look so well done and so beautiful. Every shot had a collage of colors and eye-catching moments to keep you entranced, while the actors moved fluidly through the scene, completely drawing you in. Ryan Gosling delivers his character in a similar way to Drive, with little dialogue and more through his actions. He plays Julian, a man living in Bangkok and thriving in it's criminal underworld. Julian's brother is killed for committing a crime, and Julian is asked to find the killer. After discovering the truth, Julian is put in the middle of a moral conflict on whether to get avenge his brother.
      One thing's for sure, though; this movie is not shallow when it comes to thematics. The whole plot tells a story of revenge and how it does nothing good for anyone, good and evil, and punishment with justice. There's a representation of God and the Devil, there's a punishment for those sins committed for the Devil-character, there's redemption; this movie has pretty much everything to it. It can be hard to follow through the visuals when a decent bit of it is so surreal, but if you can follow along the plot progression and story you see is so rewarding.