Only God Forgives (2013)

The Driver's Red Nightmare

It is obviously hard for me (or anyone) not to talk about Drive when writing a review about Only God Forgives. There are apparent similarities to the movies. For one thing, Only God Forgives marks the return of the grand trio Refn-Gosling-Martinez 2 years after the universally-acclaimed Drive. Ryan Gosling is Julian, a narco-trafficker covering up as a boxing-club owner and hiding in Thailand. When his older brother gets killed after raping and slaughtering a 15-year-old girl, their mom flies from the USA to claim the corpse of her first-born son and get revenge. Kristin Scott Thomas, the mother, is a sensational addition to the cast. I am thrilled to see her in the role of a merciless mafia godmother. It is unusual and surprising in her career. She is definitely persuasive. You will find similar aerial city shots at night in both movies. And similar character features: Nicolas Winding Refn sure likes his muse to be quiet and plots about revenge. On a different note, he also explores an odd fascination for hands and thighs in this feature film. There is one major thing I find drastically different from Drive. While you root for the driver and his quest to make things right, you can't really support Julian since his nemesis (Vithaya Pansringarm) is kind of the actual hero and good guy of the story. I am extremely satisfied with the original score composed by Cliff Martinez who already created Drive's one. His input is like a rumble of thunder seasoned with bits of peaceful melody. It replaces some of the dialogue and most of the screams. The score is a fully-fledged cast member. This extremely violent movie keeps its cool thanks to the music and Refn's use of slow motion, and silence. The director makes a clear theme choice with the pervasive color red. This oppressing red color is smoothed by the slow and silent journey of the main character and his nemesis. In addition, most of the cast and the entire crew are locals from Thailand. I think it's a precious and respectful directorial commitment. From the poisonous relationship between Julian and his mother to the rare way Thailand is shown, I perceive Only God Forgives to be a future classic reference.

1 reason to watch: Kristin Scott Thomas is a badass mafia godmother

The Believer (2001)

 

A Jewish neo-Nazi conflicted between his respect for the Torah and his vendetta against his people.

I recently came across The Believer (directed and written by Henry Bean) starring Hollywood heartthrob Ryan Gosling in one of those tortured roles that fit him perfectly. Ryan is Danny Balint, a former yeshiva student that turned into a neo-Nazi. Directly based on the true story of Daniel Burros, this psychological struggle mastered by the intense performance of Ryan Gosling will pin you to your seat. Henry Bean managed to capture the raw emotions of his main character authentically played by Gosling. There is definitely more than abs to the former Disney child star. I was struck by Gosling's performance as a clever but psychologically-troubled mind. His intensity is captivating and the tension he builds within himself is somewhat close to insanity. In The Believer, I witnessed the brutality of Danny's words and actions but I couldn't help but feel bad for the poor guy and the deep struggle he has to face. At first, I obviously hated the character for being such an inhuman monster but when I discovered his demons and his love/hate relationship with his own God and religion, I had trouble being that resolute about his fate. The monologues made me clench my jaw and the constant violence of his deranged self challenged me as a passive viewer. This movie treats a topic not necessarily well-known by everyone: self-hatred in the Jewish community. If you think of starting a collection of neo-Nazism-related movies: The Believer is the one to put right next to the brilliant but different American History X.

1 reason to watch:  The mesmerizing performance of Gosling on the intense paradox that is self-hatred in the Jewish community of contemporary New York City.

The Place Beyond the Pines (2013)

The unfortunate meeting of an oddly-tattooed biking Ryan Gosling and the tortured rookie cop Bradley Cooper.

Derek Cianfrance strikes again with The Place Beyond the Pines. After releasing his masterpiece Blue Valentine, an analysis of the natural evolution of the on-screen couple Gosling-Williams, Cianfrance worked with his friend and acting muse Gosling for this story on 2 father-and-son relationships. Gosling is Luke, a stunt biker for a nomad amusement park. When he learns he had a son from a previous one-night-stand with Eva Mendes' character, he quits and tries to do his best to help raising the kid. Even if this implies robbing a few banks on the way. On one of his illegal rides, he crosses the path of rookie cop Bradley Cooper who will put an end to it all... Let's talk about the stunning cast for a minute. Luke will certainly become soon enough the idol of a generation like De Niro's Taxi Driver back in the day. With his odd tattoos, special skills and strong will to change his life for his son, it is again a truly intense and honest portrayal worthy of Gosling's talent. Eva Mendes has rarely been so true and raw: we definitely want to see more of her in such roles. Bradley Cooper doesn't stop surprising us either. After Silver Linings Playbook and his remarkable role as Pat, this is yet another milestone in his career. Let's hope he will stop acting in rubbish Hollywood blockbusters like The Hangover and stick to roles worthy of his skills. Derek Cianfrance is an astonishing director. Dealing with real-life topics and minimizing the glamor of his actors to focus on emotions, he's definitely one of the best things that has happened to 21st-century US cinema. His shots are often genius but simple. He doesn't rush or complicate plots and leaves an open door to improvisation. Cianfrance's tales are never intricate: he bases the development of his movies on his characters' psychology and behavior. Whoever said that 'less is more' was probably talking about such movies.

1 reason to watch: Derek Cianfrance's epic long takes