- Cast: Ryan Gosling, Kristin Scott Thomas, Tom Burke, Yayaying, Vithaya Pansringarm, Gordon Brown, Joe Cummings, Oak Keerati
- Director: Nicolas Winding Refn
- Writer: Nicolas Winding Refn
- Producer: Lene Børglum
- Co Producer: Jessica Ask
- Executive Producers: Matthew Read, Christophe Riandee
- Art Direction: Russell Barnes
- Castings: Des Hamilton, Raweeporn 'Non' Srimonju
- D.O.P.: Larry Smith
- Editor: Matthew Newman
- Makeup: Anne Moralis
- Music: Cliff Martinez
- Production Design: Beth Mickle
Storyline
Julian, an Englishman living in Bangkok, is a respected figure in the criminal underworld. He and his brother Billy run a Thai boxing club which is in fact a front for smuggling drugs to London.
When Billy is murdered, their mother Jenna arrives from London to bring back the body. Jenna is herself the head of a powerful criminal organization and is used to getting exactly what she wants.
She sets out to settle the score along a bloody path of rage, betrayal, and vengeance, hurtling toward an ultimate confrontation and the possibility of redemption.
Basic Information
- Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1
- Filming Locations: Bangkok, Thailand
- Production Budget: $4.8 million
- Production Companies: A Grand Elephant, Film i Väst, FilmDistrict, Gaumont, Wild Bunch
- Production Schedule: February 2012 - March 2012
Featured Articles
Trivia
2013 Guide Analysis: "Though he scored acclaim for his work on the "Pusher" trilogy and launching Tom Hardy to stardom with the excellent "Bronson", Danish helmer Nicolas Winding Refn really broke through in 2011 with "Drive" - an acclaimed throwback crime drama which ended up in the #1 spot on many top ten of the year lists (including my own). As a result he's been linked to and considered for numerous projects.
'Forgives' however is something he'd been planning long before "Drive" exploded and he's stuck to his guns. Shot in South East Asia on a quite small budget film ($4.8 million), Luke Evans was originally set to star but dropped out due to his commitments to "The Hobbit". Instead Refn's "Drive" star Gosling stepped in and underwent 2-3 hour daily Muay Thai training sessions for the project.
Gosling plays a man living in exile in Bangkok where he runs a Thai boxing club as a front for the family's drugs smuggling operation. When his brother is killed, their mother (Thomas) arrives demanding revenge. His contacts lead him to a dangerous retired police officer whose death at his hand would cost him more than he could imagine.
Gosling calls the project "the strangest thing I’ve ever read and it’s only going to get stranger". Refn describes the project as essentially a heightened reality fairytale western set in the Far East. Reviewers who saw footage at this year's Cannes Film Festival confirmed the movie shares stylistic qualities with "Drive" with long tracking shots, neon lighting and intense levels of violence. If anything this is expected to have much more brutality.
With a late Spring release planned for Europe, it's expected this will debut at either Sundance, Berlin or SXSW ahead of a likely late Spring or early Fall theatrical release."
