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Originally Posted by Alfred
Maybe it was because I mostly spoiled the major plot points for myself by reading post-Cannes discussion, but I really was not watching this film for the plot. I was watching it to see how the plot fit together, how the pacing was, how the tension was built, symbolism, etc. And of course to admire the film's technical aspects.
Where I find the film "Lynchian" is mostly in how Refn messed with tone and realism. A film like Blue Velvet begins with the tone of a normal crime thriller, before introducing some of its more bizarre characters and going full-on Lynch. This film had the same occasional tonal irregularities that only served to make the film more bizarre as it went along.
Spoiler for some plot points:
The film opens with an absolutely captivating sequence at Julian and Billy's boxing club, before Billy decides he wants to hire a prostitute. In the most calm and subtle voice, he tells the pimp, "I want to fuck a 14-year old." I know this caught a lot of people off guard, myself included at my screening, and there were a lot of nervous giggles.
The same thing happened when Kristin Scott Thomas' character (who is like a bull in a china shop in this film, and sharply contrasts with the silent, solemn characters) calls Mai a "cum-dumpster" and exclaims how enormous Billy's cock was compared to Julian's (as dramatic music plays).
Even Chang's post-maiming karaoke scenes had their own bizarre, uncomfortable Lynch feel. I'm not saying that Refn was purposely imitating Lynch's style, because these are two very different directors, but there are many similarities to be drawn. I feel like he was going for the same sort of weirdness, but of course, he handled it in his own way.
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I can't really argue with any of that. Although, I do think that Lynch is both more plot driven and weirder than Refn.
Also, I wasn't bashing Gosling's general acting. I could do without the fake toughguy accent (that he uses in ALL of his films and, apparently,
in real life) but I can't really criticize what he did in this movie because it was what the part called for. The guy's obviously got dynamic talent as seen here: