Following a long list of brilliant work; most recently the instant cult hit Drive, Nicolas Winding Refn is one of the most stylish directors on the scene. Continuing his winning partnership with Ryan Gosling in the new, original film Only God Forgives (which will be followed by another Refn x Gosling flick), Refn has another guaranteed hit.
One of the most stylish films for years, Drive was heavily inspired by classics (The Driver, Le Samouraï, Thief, etc.), yet also established an incredibly distinctive brand of cool. Using dialogue only where necessary, it was a visual feast with a colour palette of vibrantly contrasting blue and orange. Add to this a constant, moody synthesiser score, a few catchy yet dark songs and you have one of the most lauded films of 2011. This neon, pulsating crime movie piled on the imagery and style until it was almost overwhelmingly cool. Did I mention it was cool? Really cool. So cool that if you don't like Drive, you will never be cool. Ever.
Anyway, as a huge, huge fan of Valhalla Rising, Bronson and Drive, I've been waiting for news on this project since it was first announced. Described by Gosling as "the strangest thing I've ever read and it's only going to get stranger", its plot following a fighting club used as a front by a drug-smuggling family in Bangkok, this sounds like a wild ride. The distinctive palette of Drive is rumoured to carry into this film, but with the blue/orange replaced with an equally original green/purple contrast.
All of this sounds cool enough, but the fact that it has been described as a Western is particularly interesting. The neon glow of a Far East city has proven itself as a brilliant background for stylish, glamourised violence in this summer's Skyfall, and it's evident that Refn's take on this environment will amp up the "holy shit this is awesome" factor to a solid 12.
EDIT: Below is a synopsis from Wild Bunch:
Bangkok. Ten years ago Julian (Gosling) killed a cop and went on the run. Now he manages a Thai boxing club as a front for a drugs operation. Respected in the criminal underworld, deep inside, he feels empty.
When Julian's brother murders a prostitute the police call on retired cop Chang - the Angel of Vengeance. Chang allows the father to kill his daughter's murderer, then 'restores order' by chopping off the man's right hand.
Julian's mother Jenna - the head of a powerful criminal organization - arrives in Bangkok to collect her son's body. She dispatches Julian to find his killers and 'raise hell'.
Increasingly obsessed with the Angel of Vengeance, Julian challenges him to a boxing match, hoping that by defeating him he might find spiritual release.. but Chang triumphs. A furious Jenna plots revenge and the stage is set for a bloody journey through betrayal and vengeance towards a final confrontation and the possibility of redemption.
-H
