The cold, bleak, winter wildernesses is the opening tone for ‘Prisoners’, Keller Dover (Hugh Jackman) and son, Ralph Dover (Dylan Minnette) are out hunting in Pennsylvania, and as the Lords Prayer is being whispered by Keller, his son fires a single round upon an unsuspecting deer. This small segment immediately signals this isn’t a normal kidnapping movie and isn’t using the same formula as recent films in this topic (such as Taken 2 that begins with a happy tone at the start). You can tell this movie is taking its self seriously.

The Dover’s, Keller, Ralph, Grace (Maria Bello) and Anna (Erin Gerasimovich) are celebrating Thanks Giving around their neighbour’s house, the Birch’s, in their quite Pennsylvania town. After the two young girls from either family, Anna Dover and Joy Birch (Kyla Drew Simmons), go looking for a red whistle that Keller had lost some time back, they both go missing and the finger is then pointed at Alex Jones, whose RV was where the girls where playing near earlier on in the film.  

The Birch family, Franklin (Terrence Howard), Nancy (Viola Davis) ,Eliza (Zoe) and the Dover’s Thanks Giving is thrown into turmoil and they then take matters into their own hands when they feel that the cop assigned to their case, Detective Loki (Jake Gyllenhaal), isn’t doing enough to find their daughters.

‘Prisoners’ is a very chilling film, using suspense to its advantage without spoiling it with a cheap jump scare. This is a very realistic take on a kidnapping; you have both ends of the work going into finding these girls. Detective Loki, has solved every case he has been assigned to and you can understand why with the sheer work he is putting it to find these girls. At the other end of the spectrum you get the vast range of emotions flowing through the families that is explored well. You get the devastation from Grace, the anger from Keller and both are explored greatly whilst balancing this fear that they may not find their daughter.

The cast is one of the best assembled in 2013 so far and they all give very strong performances. Hugh Jackman is the stand out and since being apart of the Oscar Winner ‘Les Miserables’ he is giving it all to every part he is playing. Jake Gyllenhall, Melissa Leo and Paul Dano are equally superb; nothing about their performance could be faulted. Everything these characters are doing is in aid to find their daughters, nothing feels unnecessary and everything has its place to add to the emotions these characters should be feeling.  The one weak point is Kyla Drew Simmons character, as you rarely get to see her emotions after this devastation, but I do feel this is largely down to the short screen time she had compared to the rest of the cast and wasn’t anything to do with her acting capabilities.

‘Prisoners’ does get going fairly quickly, but is extremely long (at 153 minutes) and you do feel that perhaps a few of the repetitive scenes could possibly have been axed from the final cut to shorten the movie. But saying that the movie never drags, and director Denis Villeneuve has done a great job to constantly lead the audience up these different paths, leaving you constantly guessing who has taken their daughters.

Another aspect of the realism is that the police are literally starting with only the bare minimal information that the Dovers and Birch’s have provided, Loki has to explore leads that lead to dead ends as they would in real life, whereas in other movies that use a kidnapping, (using Taken 2 again as an example) they tend to find a vital piece of evidence or a clue at he scene to where the missing person is and they are immediately on the right path. With ‘Prisoners’ you get this layer of realism that overall makes this film more enjoyable than the majority of films in this topic.

Chilling and suspenseful, ‘Prisoners’ is well crafted from start to finish. Not only is it well acted but the sheer emotion pouring out of these characters makes you really feel you are apart of that family and hope they are able to find their daughters. ‘Prisoners’ is engaging from start to finish in the way that you are constantly making up predictions in your head to who the kidnapper is and this makes the two and a half hours easily manageable. Prisoners is undoubtedly a must see and is one of the best films released this year. 

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1.      Chinatown (1974)                                                           

 

A Los Angeles private detective is drawn into a sinister web of scandal, secrecy and sin after taking on a seemingly straightforward divorce case.

Set in pre-WW2 LA, this noir classic from 1974 is a master-class in how to pool a fascinating plot, an excellent script, luscious cinematography, a wonderful score and mesmerising performances to create a beautifully crafted, visually stunning film.

Starring:

Jack Nicholson, Faye Dunaway, John Huston

Director:

Roman Polanski

2.      The Green Mile (1999)

A retired death row guard recalls the extraordinary tale of a unique prisoner confined to his block in 1935, and the astounding events which took place there.

Excellent performances are par for the course in this slow-burning tale, though the script is the real star, providing the audience with laughs, smiles, gasps and tears. Based on a serial novel by the legendary Stephen King, “The Green Mile” is a real triumph, a low-key, underplayed masterpiece.

Starring:

Tom Hanks, Michael Clarke Duncan, David Morse, James Cromwell

Director:

Frank Darabont

3.      Jackie Brown (1997)

An underpaid flight attendant becomes embroiled in a dangerous game of wits between a gun-runner, an ex-con, a federal agent and a bail bondsman when she is caught smuggling gun money across the Mexican border to Los Angeles.

Gritty, witty, sleazy and streetwise, this slick crime film is an exquisite piece of filmmaking by Quentin Tarantino. Particularly enjoyable is the inspired collection of the ensemble cast and the sharp dialogue in several scenes.

Starring:

Pam Grier, Samuel L. Jackson, Robert Forster, Robert De Niro, Michael Keaton

Director:

Quentin Tarantino

4.      The Good, The Bad & The Ugly (1966)

Two warring conmen are forced together when they each learn half of the location of buried treasure, but must overcome a sinister bounty hunter who also knows of the gold. The actions of the three main characters escalate as they go head to head for the money, culminating in the iconic ‘Mexican standoff’ finale.

Sergio Leone’s classic Spaghetti Western delivers in all departments, with the assistance of Ennio Morricone’s instantly recognisable score.

Starring:

Clint Eastwood, Lee Van Cleef, Eli Wallach

Director:

Sergio Leone

5.      Dirty Harry (1971)                      

 

A madman with a sniper rifle is murdering innocent civilians in San Francisco, and it is left up to the SFPD’s wild card, maverick homicide Inspector “Dirty” Harry Callahan, to stop him by any means necessary.

Clint Eastwood stars as one of cinema’s most iconic, and most imitated, characters in the first, and by far the best, “Dirty Harry” film. The work of director Don Siegel and composer Lalo Schifrin, combined with Eastwood’s dominant performance, make this an engaging and trend-setting cop thriller.

Starring:

Clint Eastwood

Director:

Don Siegel

6.      Se7en (1995)

A vicious serial killer who bases his crimes on the seven deadly sins is terrorising the populace of an unnamed rain-soaked city, and it’s up to detectives Morgan Freeman and Brad Pitt to stop him.

Thought-provoking and unashamedly cynical, this is no feel-good movie, but it’s a classy, exciting and well-made one none the less. Memorable dialogue, a neo-noir feel, great acting and a fantastic twist turn this film from a gory thriller into a modern classic.

Starring:

Morgan Freeman, Brad Pitt

Director:

David Fincher

7.      The Silence of the Lambs (1991)                        

 

A rookie FBI agent attempts to track down a serial killer skinning his female victims, asking the advice of former psychiatrist and incarcerated serial killer Dr Hannibal “The Cannibal” Lecter.

This isn’t actually the first on-screen appearance of Thomas Harris’ cultured killer, though it might as well have been, given Anthony Hopkins’ career-defining performance. The way Hopkins blends eloquence and charm with real menace is better showcased in the sequel, “Hannibal”, but this first film is the one which introduced the characters and originally raised the bar for the more sophisticated thriller. Jodie Foster and Ted Levine turn in believable and genuinely interesting performances which guide the film ably between Hopkins’ show-stealing scenes.

Starring:

Jodie Foster, Anthony Hopkins, Ted Levine

Director:

Jonathan Demme

8.      A Few Good Men (1990)                                   

An underachieving US Marine is killed in his barracks at Guantanamo Bay after continuously asking for a transfer. When an uptight officer and a cocky Navy lawyer are put on the case, they expose a cover-up rising to the very top of the military.

Rob Reiner’s superb courtroom drama ticks so many boxes it’s unbelievable, but the central performances from Tom Cruise and the evergreen Jack Nicholson provide some stellar scenes, most notably the finale. Can you handle the truth?

Starring:

Tom Cruise, Demi Moore, Jack Nicholson,

Director:

Rob Reiner

9.      The Shining (1980)

A troubled writer agrees to maintain an isolated ski resort through the harsh winter, in spite of warnings about the hotel’s sinister history. However, after moving his family into the deserted complex, it becomes clear that certain events do not want to remain in

the past for long.

Jack Nicholson and Shelley Duvall are perfect for their respective roles in Stanley Kubrick’s gripping adaptation of Stephen King’s chilling tale, as the destructive Jack Torrance and his meek wife Wendy. Nicholson’s character’s slow decline into madness is beautifully acted and is without doubt the lynchpin of this film. Underappreciated in its time, but now recognised as a brilliant piece of film making, “The Shining” originally set the standard for psychological horror films.

Starring:

Jack Nicholson, Shelley Duvall

Director:

Stanley Kubrick

10. Psycho (1960)                                                           

After stealing money from her employer, a scheming secretary takes refuge at a small rural motel, completely unaware of the horror that awaits her.

 A capable but virtually unknown cast and an iconic score from Bernard Herrmann enliven this classic Hitchcock chiller which prompted two sequels, a prequel, a remake and a TV movie spin off. Plus, it would be wrong not to include a Hitchcock movie on a list of “Best ever movies”. “Psycho” is without doubt his best and most influential piece.

Starring:

Janet Leigh, Anthony Perkins, Martin Balsam

Director:

Alfred Hitchcock

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Twenty years ago, cinemas around the world were blessed with a heart-warming tale of courage, determination and proving critics wrong.

‘Cool Runnings’ is a film based roughly on a true story, in which a Jamaican Bobsled team tried gaining a place to complete in the Winter Olympics.

Starring John Candy, Leon and Doug E Doug , film buffs will remember the picture being filled with famous catchphrases  such as  “Sanka you dead?” and “Kiss my lucky egg,” making this movie popular with individuals, families and critics all over the land.

The Film begins with Derice Bannock, (Leon) a sprinter trying to gain a place in Jamaica’s track team for the 1988 Olympic Games in Seoul, Korea. However, due to a collision on the track with another athlete, his dreams are dashed. Not wanting his dream to come to an end, he searches high and low to find a sport that will allow him to become Olympian.

Derice enlists in the help of ex- United States gold medallist bobsledder Irv Blitzer (Candy), who now lives on the island. Reluctant at first, Irv eventually gives in and tries to aid Derice and his team mates, best friend Sanka Cofie (Doug), Junior Bevil (Rawle D. Lewis), a young sprinter who lacks confidence, not helped along the way by his rich father who thinks his dreams are silly and Yul Brenner (Malik Yoba), a stern, mountain of a man in trying to reach the Winter games.

After overcoming various obstacles such as, funding, believing in themselves and ridicule they start to eventually work together, installing a solid team morale helping them compete for a spot in Canada.

Along with an awesome soundtrack, featuring music artists such as Jimmy Cliff, Diana King and Hans Zimmer. This film brings calypso to the coldest of climates and an uplifting feel to those who watch it.

This film is entertaining, offering a balance of comedy charm that allows the audience to indulge in its light hearted side, and also contains fantastically influencing speeches delivered throughout the picture by the late, great John Candy. If you are a fan of films such as Rocky, a classic, sporting underdog story, then this is definitely a film worth watching.

Buy Cool Runnings Now (£3) 

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High speculation from motorsport media, plus the critically acclaimed hit documentary film ‘Senna’ which was released in 2011, had left to Ron Howard’s new biographical film ‘Rush’ with a lot to live up to.

Written by Peter Morgan, ‘Rush’ depicts the fierce rivalry between Britain’s James Hunt and Austria’s Niki Lauda as they both battle it out for the biggest motorsport title – Formula One World Champion.

Academy Award winning director Ron Howard has ensured that no stone be unturned in reliving every aspect of the 1976 season including the highs and lows of the drivers’ individual rise to F1 fame.

Chris Hemsworth – best known for this Marvel Studios roles in ‘Thor’ and ‘The Avengers’ – accurately portrays the on and off track characteristics of James Hunt brilliantly, while Daniel Bruhl’s interpretation of Niki Lauda is remarkable.

‘Rush’ highlights the dangers of the sport from the seventies era. 1976 saw Niki Lauda suffer from severe burns after a near fatal accident at the Nurburgring during the German Grand Prix. Having crashed whilst making up places in the treacherous conditions, the fuel pump on Lauda’s Ferrari exploded, turning it into a fireball. He was trapped in the searing inferno for just over a minute before other drivers came to his rescue to save his life.

Whilst hard to watch at times, the film shows Lauda’s remarkable road to recovery, which saw him back in his car in spite of medical advice a mere forty-two days after the accident to continue his championship quest.

Combining competitive racing, personal emotions and an eclectic soundtrack, ‘Rush’ is not only a film aimed at hard core Formula One fans, but also those with no interest in motorsport. Those who have never seen a motorsport race will still enjoy the film, in my opinion, as much as those who saw the real-life Hunt and Lauda fight it out for the championship.

Niki Lauda features on the film as a voice-over both at the beginning and very end of the film, putting his own view across of the battles that he faced during that season – and paying tribute to Hunt – who died of a heart attack at the age of 44 in 1993.

 I would definitely recommend seeing ‘Rush’ on the big screen. The cinematography and iconic paddock sounds makes for a highly interesting and entertaining watch.

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It’s been one of the most talked about films this summer and with good reason. From Jennifer Aniston’s strip tease to an awkward teenage boy getting his testicle bit by a spider, this has to be one of the best films I have ever seen.

The plot entails a low end drug dealer David (Jason Sudeikis) having to smuggle drugs in from Mexico after losing his boss a lot of money. David comes up with a plan of creating a fake family on holiday in an RV so that he doesn’t get stopped and searched at the border. David then proceeds to hire a stripper who lives in his building, Rose (Jennifer Aniston), a nerdy teenage boy (Will Poulter) and a homeless tough girl (Emma Roberts). After a lot of persuading on David’s part, all of the characters agree to go on the trip knowing the consequences.

 After obtaining the drugs, the Millers start to head  back to the border, however along the way the  Millers  RV breaks down and they are rescued by an unassuming family, the Fitzgerald’s, whose idiocy and naivety make them adorable to the audience.
Of course a film wouldn’t be a film without the actors. In many ways, the actors can either make or break a film as if there’s one bad performance, it sets the tone for the whole film. Thankfully in this film, the actors only add to the excellence.

Jason Sudeikis conveys a funny drug dealer who the audience come to love due to his hilarious desperation not to be found out, this along with his pan faced insults to nearly every character in the film, show the audience a different side to this actor. Sudeikis makes his character convincing as a low grade drug dealer who is just trying to keep himself afloat in a drug business that he cannot possibly control or fully understand.

Jennifer Aniston plays an unforgettable role as Rose, the sexy stripper, who is going along with the Miller scheme with the promise of money. Although this is not Aniston’s typical role, she portrays it well, showing the audience the true emotions of her character with brilliant reactions to the drama going on around her. And of course, you cannot talk about Aniston’s character without bringing in the strip tease. The snippet of the strip tease shown in the trailer does not justify Jennifer Aniston’s sexiness in the scene that does not come soon enough.

Will Poulter who plays Kenny is the hidden gem in ‘We’re the Millers’ as his naivety makes him the most lovable of the characters as the audience instantly engage and connect with him. The Kenny character is the typical nerd who wants to be able to stand up for himself and others, wanting to ‘get the girl’ and mostly to be accepted. All of these factors come across flawlessly with Poulter playing him. Poulter makes himself known in this film and confirms his status as a rising star.

Editing and Graphics by Conor Rees

Unfortunately Emma Roberts who plays Casey is the weak link in this otherwise brilliant film. Roberts gets the ‘boring’ character as Casey doesn’t contribute much to the main plot. The main incentive for her character is to be part of a family that she feels accepted in. Roberts is however very capable of pulling off the stroppy teenager, a role that she frequently possesses. However, it is unlikely that Roberts will receive any credit from this film as her performance overall was boring and unneeded.

Overall, I would definitely buy this movie as soon as it comes out on DVD/ Blu-ray because although it contains flaws, it’s one of the best films I have seen recently with its crude humour, that striptease and lovable characters; it’s definitely one to watch.

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T he year is 2154 and the divide between the rich and the poor has drastically rifted apart, a message that director Neil Blomkamp showcased in his last directional role in the popular, gritty take on a Sci-fi movie that was District 9.

The gap couldn’t be further apart, the wealthy live on Elysium, a state of the art space station in orbit of the earth that resembles the closest thing to paradise as you could get. The rest of humanity lives on earth, an over populated, polluted and very desolate environment that creates a very believable and realistic world around the main story.

Matt Damon plays Max, an ex-car thief turned factory worker that has always fantasised of going to Elysium, but after sustaining an accident at work he is diagnosed with days to live and this all sets into motion a plan to get to Elysium. Though this involves a metal suit being screwed into his body he still accepts this painful upgraded to his physic in order to survive his radioactive encounter by getting to this space station. The cure? A med bay that is this pod shaped machine that can cure any illness. Delacourt (Jodie Foster), the defence minister on Elysium, shows early on that it isn’t a modest task to get into this Halo-esc space station by ordering that the civilian ships trying to gain admission to Elysium air space be shot down in the opening segment of the movie.

This is only the second film from the directing hand of Blomkamp and it’s clear that he feels strongly about the real world separation in class in today’s society. District 9 used the South African slums to present this message of separation in society and this is implemented into Elysium. This movie uses the social gap and lack of medical care available to the deprived to show problems that take place in today’s world.

This time Blomkamp’s second film is set in Los Angles, the world is just as gritty as has a clear resemblance to that of District 9. Earth is over overpopulated and ravaged by disease with robot police roaming the landscape inflicting their harsh and brutal justice at will.

This is a Sci-fi movie, but not one people may be expecting. The majority of the film is set on earth with only a small proportion taking place on Elysium. The world still looks fantastic, the gritty futuristic landscape immerses you in a believable world with the other technological and more perfectly looking environment (that on Elysium) being equally beautiful.

The lead in this film, Max, is a likable character and is used as the test dummy to showcase Blomkamp’s harsh world to begin with; his arm is broken by a police bot for simply making a sarcastic joke. Max appears vulnerable to begin with but there is a character arc in this movie and eventually you witness this transformation of Max turning into the Bourne of the future. Though this isn’t an action film as such, there are still action sequences that take place after Max’s metal suit is screwing into his body. Damon’s performance is believable and it is entertaining to watch his character arc progress through the movie.

Delacourt is this evil and manipulative woman yet still doesn’t feel like the main antagonist in this film. This crown is awarded to her henchman, Kruger (Sharlto Copley). Though Foster’s performance is good in creating this villain her character doesn’t appear that of a challenging role to play, she always feels undercut by her henchman and had she had a more of a physical role in this movie, rather than at the end of a phone to Kruger, then perhaps you would feel a more menacing depth to her character.

Sharlto Copley’s villain on the other hand is fantastic. He isn’t a typical villain yet still being a violent hitman. You really feel as though this desolate atmosphere has bled into Kruger’s soul, shaping his personality into a cruel intimidating figure. Sharlto Copley is the stand out by a mile in this movie (that’s not to say Damon or anyone else didn’t do a good job). The transformation from his character in District 9 (a vulnerable and puny office worker to begin with, though his character arc changes over the course of that movie), to that in Elysium is impressive. Before going into this movie I was sceptical to whether casting Sharlto Copley as a villain was a great idea but it has proved a worthy decision.

This isn’t supposed to be a follow on from District 9 yet the comparison is inevitable for people who have seen it. District 9 was hailed as a unique great Sci-fi movie, but where District 9’s unique story felt a breath of fresh air Elysium still only feels like a good summer action film. It still doesn’t quite live up to Blomkamp’s first movie, but it still shouldn’t be missed. Matt Damon in a robotic suit acting all Bourne like is a recipe for success, with the fantastic Shalto Copley’s villainy added to the mix then its inevitable that you will feel satisfied when leaving Elysium.  

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A fter watching ‘Only God Forgives’ one thing was clear and certain in my head, this movie is sure to create a divide in people’s perceptions of this movie. The majority of people who will see this movie will leave thinking that Only God Forgives is one of the worst movies they have ever seen, creating confusion at every turn and leaving the cinema completely baffled, the small minority of people on the other hand though will feel satisfied that they have just witnessed a beautifully crafted and very unique story that is completely different to anything that is currently out there. I can understand why some will love this film and why the majority won’t.

Only God Forgives is the second time director Nicolas Winding Refn and Ryan Gosling have teamed up after the 2011 hit Drive. Only God Forgives is a story about revenge. Julian (Ryan Gosling), a drug smuggler in Bangkok finds himself trying to track down the person responsible for his brother’s death when his mother flies in from American. Chang (Vithaya Pansringarm) is the person behind Julian’s brother’s death though this is all brought about after Billy (Julian’s brother) kills and rapes a young girl.

That is the clearest way to explain the main backbone of the story without creating confusion. It sounds fairly simple, but believe me it isn’t. Everything in this film requires you to be very analytical and look extremely in depth at what you are seeing on screen in order to know what is going on.

Characters in this movie stand for more than just people in this film. There doesn’t really seem a right side to follow as neither is good. Julian and his mother, Crystal (Kristin Scott Thomas) are trying to get revenge for Billy’s death, but is that really justified because Billy did rape and kill a young girl. Chang on the other hand is perceived as this corrupt cop (though he isn’t- I’ll get to that in a bit) and the person responsible for Billy’s death, so you don’t really see him as the good guy of this movie either.

When you see Crystal on screen you never feel like she is a normal person, you first see her arriving at her hotel and she imminently opens her fiery personality on the woman working behind the reception desk. She seeks revenge and nothing else all throughout this movie, she is never nice to anyone on screen other than Julian and even then she sits there caressing her sons arm creating this unnatural relationship between mother and son. The way she speaks to people and her persistence for revenge it’s clear that Refn is trying to portray Crystal as the Devil.

Chang isn’t a police officer but is always looked up to by the police, they all respect him and never question him and everything he does is justified to the people around him merely due to his status. He is untouchable in this movie and can also just pull a sword out of thin air. Chang isn’t a cop, he is a metaphor for God.

None of this is explained to you either so I can understand why people will get confused. No one will go into Only God Forgives expecting that they will have to look this much in depth at this movie and thus leaving you confused, mainly due to the vast majority of movies not leaving you this much in the dark.

Leaving you in the dark is a big problem in this film. Dream like sequences crop up throughout this film adding to the confusion especially when in certain scenes it is only made clear through Julian’s shirt changing colour. This doesn’t bring anything other than confusion. Another area leaving you in the dark is the obsession with Julian’s hands. These shots of his hands and his fists clenched all throughout, such as the scene when he puts his hands under the tap and the water turns to blood. This is eventually explained in the movies closing stages but again it’s an explanation you need to figure out yourself.

You also never attach yourselves to the characters mainly because they are never developed, this could be due to the characters acting as nothing more than metaphors. This isn’t something I’m a fan of, by not attaching yourself to the characters and with all this confusion this film isn’t an easy watch.

As in Drive, Ryan Gosling barley has any dialog in this film, as expected. He does well in this movie with the script he has been given but isn’t really given as much screen time as you’d expect. The stand out is Vithaya Pansringarm, he really is a sinister character in in this movie. You get this vibe of a god like being walking around Bangkok by the way he slowly walks around everywhere, everything he does is precise and elegant, be it with his sword or his fists. One area that I didn’t understand is the karaoke scenes that happen far too often in this film that occur every time Chang dishes out a punishment.

Music is the main strength in this film, it has to be good when dialog is absent for long periods of time. This techno style of music compliments this dark criminal environment extremely well especially in the fight scenes. An element that is also well worked is when characters are mute, it takes place a few times during ‘Only God Forgives’ when characters begin to talk and all you can hear music instead of their dialog. This is a clever idea that shows that who they are talking to isn’t listening and only focused on their thoughts.

Nicolas Winding Refn has approached this movie with the image of creating Only God Forgives as artistic as possible. This movie does look great, dark atmospheres work well to create this criminal environment. Cinematographer is also excellent, long, slow camera panning shots all add to this art. Everything has its place in this artistic image including light that is perfectly worked to only focus on certain objects in scenes, leaving the rest of the set in darkness.

I’m all for a great artistic film with great cinematography and music but this film isn’t great. Drive’s uniqueness still felt like a great movie, you was able to fathom out what was going on despite a lack of dialog from Ryan Gosling. Only God Forgives feels like it’s trying to be too clever. With characters resembling metaphors you find it hard to understand their actions when you aren’t given much detail into their background, and with a story that jumps from seemingly normal situations to bizarre scenes you will easily get confused. This movie is only 90 minutes but it feels a lot longer than many two hour plus films due to the amount of times you will be scratching your head at what’s going on. This isn’t an easy watch and even when you do take the time to analyse ever moment on screen certain scenes still appear completely bizarre and going to far, especially a torture scene and one scene in particular is when Julian cuts open a characters stomach and puts his hand in there, not a single piece of explanation is given to why this happens or what Refn is trying to portray.

Nicolas Winding Refn is a good director with a unique mind, proved perfectly from Drive, but the way he has approached this movie feels like he is trying to create a piece of art or literature with hidden meaning behind ever tiny detail more so than a movie. By all the focus going into you working out what the meaning is the movie sort of shoots its self in the foot by creating confusion. You don’t expect to have to do this in a movie and when you don’t know what is going on you begin losing interest. I can appreciate a film that uses amazing cinematography perfectly complimented with a great score but by no means does that mean it’s a great film. Only God Forgives sadly is just that.

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