Ryan Gosling doesn't say much in the first red band trailer for Nicolas Winding Refn's latest film, "Only God Forgives" - and he doesn't have to. Like the best of Refn's movies, the footage speaks for itself.
(See trailer below)
Refn, a veteran of hardboiled, trenchant character studies like the "Pusher" series, "Bronson," and his last collaboration with Gosling in the hugely popular "Drive," looks to be continuing his streak of refining that violence-meets-beauty mantra with "Only God Forgives." The trailer's just a short teaser, but damn if it doesn't leave an impression like a punch in the wall. With sumptuous tracking shots that wouldn't feel out of place in a Scorsese movie, or "Oldboy," and a back-alley-dark, heavily saturated color palette, it's clear we're all in for one hell of a ride this summer.
Details remain vague, but "Only God Forgives" is essentially a crime-infused thriller, which Gosling called the "strangest" thing he'd ever read. Set against the underworld of Bangkok and its Muay-thai boxing scene, Gosling plays "Julian," a guy hiding out in Thailand after killing a cop a decade ago. Here's the rest of the official synopsis:
"Julian lives in exile in Bangkok where he runs a Thai boxing club as a front for the family's drugs smuggling operation. When Julian's brother Billy is killed, their mother, Jenna, arrives in the city. She wants revenge and forces Julian to find the killer. Julian's contacts in the criminal underworld lead him directly to The Angel of Vengeance, a retired police officer who knows everything and who is both Judge and Punisher. Jenna demands that Julian kill The Angel of Vengeance, an act that will cost him dearly."
Gosling prepared for the role for months on end, going through some intense Muay-Thai training to ensure he was ready for the five months of shooting in Thailand.
Just as he did with "Drive," Refn once again reportedly chose to film "Only God Forgives" almost exclusively in chronological order, working as fast as possible without the aid of storyboards or notes, and often editing scenes the same day they're shot. He said he was inspired by the intense frenetic energy of Bangkok, likening it to something straight out of "Blade Runner."
"Only God Forgives" also co-stars Kristin Scott Thomas as Gosling's mother, as well as Vithaya Pansringarm, Yaya Ying, Tom Burke, and Gordon Brown. The film is set for general release July 19, 2013.
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