Nicolas Winding Refn

Nicolas Winding Refn followed up his most successful movie, 'Drive,' with a controversial sequel that most critics panned.

Its unwavering commitment to its own vision is a philosophy that Refn has refused to back down from since, and while the result will not be to everyone’s taste, no work of art is. [The Texas Chain Saw Massacre was a good pick for a first date](https://www.avclub.com/director-nicolas-winding-refn-on-his-obsession-with-exp-1798284411) and has a filmography that regularly evokes the equally polarizing work of Alejandro Jodorowsky, so the idea of him slamming on the brakes and directing a nice crowd-pleaser was always silly. Her Oedipus-inspired relationship with Julian is as engrossing as it is revolting, and most of their history unsaid is one of the few times his silence proves beneficial. He has a grand total of 17 lines and spends the rest of his time staring into space, making it hard to get invested in his dilemma despite the film expecting you to do so. This may be a case of an artist failing to understand what people liked about their work, but Refn has always exhibited such levels of precision that it’s hard to believe he does anything without careful planning. It’s even braver to adhere so closely to the formula of said film while also distorting it just enough that elements that were once praised are now the subject of much ire. It takes a brave director to follow up their most acclaimed and accessible film with something that resembles the cinematic equivalent of an endurance test. One minute Nicolas Winding Refn was walking away from Cannes Film Festival with the Best Director award in his pocket, and the next he was watching his latest film gross $81 million at the global box office — a whopping figure for something that is still firmly entrenched on the art house side of the debate. Only God Forgives lacks an equivalent moral anchor, resulting in a film populated entirely by reprehensible people who view bloodshed as the answer to all of life’s problems. There’s no inherent requirement for films to be fun, but the unrelenting bleakness of Only God Forgives which waltzes straight over the boundary of acceptability will turn away most viewers in minutes. Billy’s friends are quick to retaliate, and soon an endless cycle of violence has broken out as both sides seek vengeance against the other — a feeling bolstered by the arrival of the brothers’ nefarious mother Crystal (Kristin Scott Thomas) — with Julian thrust into the war’s most prominent role against his wishes. Before long it had faded away as “the other Refn/Gosling collaboration," and these days is considered little more than a footnote while its older brother continues to garner fame.