Only God Forgives

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Only God Forgives

R

2013

1h 30m

Crime

Drama

Mystery & Thriller

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

41%

Tomatometer

166 Reviews

37%

Popcornmeter

25,000+ Ratings

In Thailand, a drug trafficker's (Ryan Gosling) icy mother (Kristin Scott Thomas) sends him on a mission to avenge his older brother, who was killed for beating an underage prostitute to death.

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Critics Consensus

Director Refn remains as visually stylish as ever, but Only God Forgives fails to add enough narrative smarts or relatable characters to ground its beautifully filmed depravity.

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Candice Frederick

Reel Talk Online

09/07/2017

D

Here's hoping Refn's next one redeems him.

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Jason Bailey

Flavorwire

06/19/2016

'Only God Forgives' is a mess, an overly stylized and brutally violent mood piece with something to alienate everyone. It's also absolutely worth seeing.

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Chris Stuckmann

ChrisStuckmann.com

04/17/2015

B-

Only God Forgives is an extremely misunderstood film.

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Patrick Cavanaugh

The Wolfman Cometh

09/20/2023

4/5

Far more sparse and metaphorical than the previous Refn and Gosling collaboration, but it's arguably much more visually lush, making for a challenging experience that showcases the filmmaker's cinematic sensibilities.

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Brian Eggert

Deep Focus Review

09/01/2022

1/4

Aside from Scott Thomas, whose performance is magnificently over-the-top, the actors and storyline have almost no humanity to them, serving only the film’s vague metaphor about punishment.

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Keith Garlington

Keith & the Movies

08/24/2022

2/5

While Refn may not like strong narratives, deeper characters, or good dialogue he certainly loves mood lighting, long hallways, and gaudy wallpaper.

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Richard C

@Chappy8765 Feb 18

10 minutes in. What the hell am I watching. Makes no sense and what's with the karaoke scene?!

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Griffith J

@griffithxjohnson Sep 24

The definition of style over substance with all its effort put into making beautiful visuals while forgoing a story worth telling. The pacing moves incredibly slow & lets these mesmerizing shots to soak beyond what feels good. The plot is straightforward with deplorable characters trying to justify their horrible sins. The lighting is a bold mix of colors that build a dreamlike tone. Refn’s directing goes overboard on his signature style but there isn’t enough meaning to back it.

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Fergus R

@RT65018113 Jul 31

highly underappreciated dark and violent revenge movie with excellent cinematography; it lacks character development, so bear that in mind before watching.

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Red in D

@redindenver May 23

WTF?? I gave up after about the first 20 minutes. I tell myself I should give ALL films with (usually) really good actors at least 20 minutes of my time before calling it a wrap. On this one, I probably should have broken my 20-minute rule. Why would Ryan Gosling have signed up for this crap?

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apyroguy2 T

@RT36798605 May 18

Wow. Rarely do I take the time to review a movie. It has to be outstanding in some way. This movie is outstandingly awful. Not even God will forgive the producers of this movie.

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Rehan T

@RT81460504 05/06/2025

absolute dog crap...

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Nicolas Winding Refn

Director

Ryan Gosling

Julian

Kristin Scott Thomas

Crystal

Vithaya Pansringarm

Chang

Rhatha Phongam

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Synopsis

In Thailand, a drug trafficker's (Ryan Gosling) icy mother (Kristin Scott Thomas) sends him on a mission to avenge his older brother, who was killed for beating an underage prostitute to death.

Director: Nicolas Winding Refn
Producer: Lene Børglum, Sidonie Dumas, Vincent Maraval
Screenwriter: Nicolas Winding Refn
Distributor: Radius TWC
Production Co: Nordisk Film Shortcut A/S , Film Väst, Bold Films, Space Rocket Nation, Motel Movies, DR v/Filmklubben,
Rating: R (Language|Grisly Images|Sexual Content|Strong Bloody Violence)
Genre: Crime, Drama, Mystery & Thriller
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Jul 19, 2013, Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Feb 17, 2017
Box Office (Gross USA): $775.9K
Runtime: 1h 30m
Aspect Ratio: Flat (1.85:1)