Only God Forgives (2013)

Thailand, the land of smiles

When expatriate criminal Billy kills a young Thai girl, his younger brother Julian is left with the mess.  Set in Bangkok, Thailand, this crime story and revenge tale is a little bit brutal and a little bit surreal.  Director Nicolas Winding Refn and actor Ryan Gosling reunite for this visually dense look at the underbelly of Bangkok.  Kristin Scott Thomas gives a perversely funny, as well as sad, portrayal of Billy and Julian's mother.  I can think of a good many adjectives to describe this film - eerie, atmospheric, ambiguous, stylish, sparse - and for me, every one of those describes a positive trait of the film.  The critics may not love it, but I sure did! 

Only God Forgives gets 4 out of 5 Poblanos!

Director: Nicolas Winding Refn (Drive, Valhalla Rising)
Writer: Nicolas Winding Refn
Starring: Ryan Gosling, Kristin Scott Thomas, Vithaya Pansringarm
Rotten Tomatoes: 40%
Metacritic: 37%