Only God Forgives

Play trailer

Only God Forgives

R

2013

1h 30m

Crime

Drama

Mystery & Thriller

Play Trailer

Watchlist

Watchlist

Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

41%

Tomatometer

167 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.

Watch on Fandango

Stream Now

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.

Read Critics Reviews

Candice Frederick

Reel Talk Online

Sep 7, 2017

D

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

Go to Full Review

Jason Bailey

Flavorwire

Jun 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.

Go to Full Review

Chris Stuckmann

ChrisStuckmann.com

Apr 17, 2015

B-

Only God Forgives is an extremely misunderstood film.

Go to Full Review

Matt Oakes

Silver Screen Riot

Oct 15, 2026

A

Only God Forgives is full of these little Easter eggs, leaving breadcrumbs from the opening shot to the big, thoughtful finale, bringing its own view of philosophy and mythology to the table to be dissected slowly and, in this case, gruesomely.

Go to Full Review

Patrick Cavanaugh

The Wolfman Cometh

Sep 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.

Go to Full Review

Brian Eggert

Deep Focus Review

Sep 1, 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.

Go to Full Review

Read all reviews

Jim M

@Jimboinmk Oct 26, 2026

What an absolute mess of a film!

See more

Tom M

@tmacfadden Oct 23, 2026

Pointless. Ryan Gosling non-acting.

See more

Roger B

@RT02824023 Sep 26, 2026

Didn't get it. Pointless?

See more

Dr. Sina W

@RT65098475 Jun 29, 2026

Refn is a director who seems to have some kind of fetish for utterly pointless cruelty. The acts of violence in his films are so exaggerated that, paradoxically, they end up reflecting the very essence of all cruelty. . At the same time, it is precisely these scenes that make me wonder what kind of planet we are actually living on. The cruelty Refn portrays is unlike the violence found in other films. It is so repulsive that you will never forget it, yet it is presented in the most breathtakingly beautiful light imaginable. Visually, the film is a feast of the kind cinema rarely offers. It has the courage to embrace highly unconventional scenarios in the service of what is, at its core, an almost absurdly simple revenge story. The film's deliberate slowness is hypnotic, the performances are outstanding and Kristin Scott Thomas delivers a mother so thoroughly despicable that it is astonishing she did not win an Academy Award for the role.

See more

Jack C

@RT32999762 Jun 25, 2026

If you're someone with a writer-brain or are good at puzzles, this movie would be a fun cognitive game for you. I myself am not this way and genuinely don't know what the hell happened even after googling it. What I can say is that the Visual and musical aspects were rich and ethereal which is always a big yes from me.

See more

Richard C

@Chappy8765 Feb 18, 2026

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

See more

Read all reviews

Read More

Read Less

WRITE A REVIEW

EDIT REVIEW

POST RATING

Nicolas Winding Refn

Director

Ryan Gosling

Julian

Kristin Scott Thomas

Crystal

Vithaya Pansringarm

Chang

Rhatha Phongam

Maï

Gordon Brown

Gordon

Nightcrawler

95%

86%

Nightcrawler

Watchlist

TRAILER

for Nightcrawler

Deadfall

34%

37%

Deadfall

Watchlist

Runner Runner

8%

33%

Runner Runner

Watchlist

Broken City

26%

40%

Broken City

Watchlist

Out of the Furnace

54%

52%

Out of the Furnace

Watchlist

Discover more movies and TV shows.

View More

Digital Multiplex: After Earth, Only God Forgives, and More

View more photos

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)

Join The Newsletter

Join The Newsletter

Cookie Settings