snoozepill

Yeah, it's pretty bad. The script is just... atrocious. BUT it isn't as terrible as the reviewers say it is. As others have noted, it does a great job of capturing a Lynch-ian dreamlike vibe. That kind of atmosphere is rare in cinema these days, so it deserves some respect for that alone. The cinematography is top notch and Cliff Martinez's score is subtle and fantastic. Like "Drive" it has the claustrophobia and nightmarish inevitability **** fairy tale or Greek tragedy, but what's missing here is a heart. There's no one to root for, no struggle to identify with. The film is destined for cult status and I know several cinephiles who are already crazy about it, but I'd say this one is for die-hard Refn fans only.

I really don't understand the wildly positive reviews this is getting. It's a basic police procedural. A drug dealer gets busted and agrees to cooperate with the police, but his allegiances remain unclear until the final third of the film. You can guess where this one's going. The last 15 minutes are full of over the top John Woo-style gun violence, but it's nothing worth sitting through the rest of the movie to see, especially since the film gives you absolutely no reason to care whether any of the characters live or die. Don't bother with this garbage.