This story has more twists and turns than a second-rate soap opera.

Very good movie overall, highly recommended. Most of the negative reviews don't have any merit and are all pollitically based. Give this movie a chance at least, and it might give you a different perspective.

Easily the biggest piece of Right wing non sense propaganda I ever saw.

By the time the dramatic fireworks start popping off, each one feels earned.

This film just didn't work! Terrible plot, Ryan gosling tries his best but this film was really weird but not in a good way. The scene were he gets beat to a pulp is just pointless!

I wouldn't consider this a masterpiece, but I do think that it manages to be an interesting film that seems to be hated by a lot of people. Looking at the ratings for this vs. The Neon Demon, I'm honestly surprised to see this one rated lower, as I consider it the more obviously superior. I think one reason for this is that this film followed "Drive" which (especially since both star Gosling) set the expectation that this would be more like that, whereas The Neon Demon follows this movie, which set the expectation that his films would be batsh** crazy artsy affairs, which both definitely are. The film has a very nice look, seemingly inspired by the look (or perhaps idea) of Thailand, and probably owing a bit of debt to Suspiria with its rich neon colors (especially red). The cinematography is excellent, and everything seems to be meticulously planned. I think the acting and story will be where this film either provokes love or hate in different viewers. Fans of David Lynch will probably be largely sympathetic to the style here: it has a lot of bizarre and unrealistic dialog that seems designed to instill an unsettling mood, and it mostly works. There are some cringe-inducing moments but overall I felt like it fits with the film. The story is mostly easy to follow but requires that the viewer do a bit of work to decipher the motivations of the characters, but this is really where the film gets interesting, so I think it makes sense that this requires more active participation from the viewer. Thematically, I find this film ten times more interesting than The Neon Demon and Drive. Why our protagonist is doing the things he is doing and why he ultimately ends up where he does are as important if not more so than the visual merits of the film. I have to wonder whether people criticizing it and saying it's all "style over substance" really understood some of the most basic aspects of the story. This is not a perfect film, and will be hard to watch for some, as it contains some fairly brutal violence. The strange combination of elements will leave some perplexed, but I think it's this rather inspired mix that sets it apart and warrants subsequent viewings. Of Refn's more heavily stylized films (of which I'd include this, The Neon Demon, and Valhalla Rising), this one is arguably his best, in my book.

There is nothing like an oddball Thai noir film with Ryan Gosling. Ryan runs a fight club in Thailand. His older brother Billy kills a prostitute. Billy in turn is killed by the father of the dead girl, assisted by a vigilante cop (Vithaya Pansringarm). Ryan realizes his brother was no saint and doesn't enact revenge and then the over the top drug dealing potty mouthed mom (Kristin Scott Thomas) shows up to makes things worse.The main problem with this film is that Ryan's character was never developed, or developed to the point you cared about him. It was a bad role. The drug dealing, while discussed wasn't really part of the plot other than background material. The background of Billy, was told to us as was many plot points that didn't mesh well into an enjoyable tale. Kristin Scott Thomas' character carried the film for what it was worth.This film is clearly not for everyone and I give three stars for its uniqueness and potential, not the entertainment value.Parental Guide: F-bomb, N-word. No nudity (unless you count art). No sex. Adult themes.

If you are a sincere fan of slow, but extremely slow movies, play this movie on x2 speed and you may somehow hold on to the end. I have to praise myself, I fell asleep only after more than an hour. I usually evaluate the general impression that movie has left on me, but sometimes, as in this case, this is impossible because my impressions are very divided. It's done in similar style as Neon Demon, but in my opinion it's a bit better. Movie is visually fascinating and deserves 9/10, but the story and pace are terribly boring and I hardly made myself watch it to the end, which is on my scale 2/10. As it's better than Neon Demon, which I rated 3/10, I will draw the average from 2 and 9, and rate it5,5/10