ONLY GOD FORGIVES

That most monosyllabic of actors, Ryan Gosling, is even more monosyllabic than usual in Nicholas Winding Refn's mesmerising and highly stylised existentialist revenge movie ONLY GOD FORGIVES. Indeed, you could probably write all the dialogue spoken in this film on a postcard. The plot is indecipherable or so minimalist as to be totally simplistic, suffice to say it finds Gosling out to revenge, or not depending on how you look at it, the murder of his brother who, in turn, raped and murdered a 16 year old girl. It all takes place in Bangkok, almost entirely at night, (dimly lit interiors; dark, neon-tinged exteriors), with, as I've said, very little dialogue. Visually, however, it's extraordinary, unfolding like a dream, (and it's often hard to distinguish between what's a dream and what's real), or more appropriately, a nightmare as this is a very violent picture.

Saying almost nothing Gosling, nevertheless, turns in a terrifically intense performance matched every step of the way by Kristin Scott Thomas' turn as his vicious, drug-dealing, revenge-seeking mother. Of course, few films in recent years have quite divided critics in the way this one has, hailed as a masterpiece by some and dismissed by others as the worst film of the year. I'm firmly in the former camp. This is pure cinema; bold, imaginative and brilliantly directed. It won't appeal to thrill seekers; however, anyone who  loves movies will get one hell of an adrenalin rush.