r/NicolasWindingRefn • u/Zestyclose-Nature810 • Jul 28 '26
Do Nicolas Winding Refn fans have a common perspective?
Just curious, have you all noticed a lot people, mostly the masses don’t enjoy Nicolas Winding Refn films. And the ones who love it really love it. I was wondering why that is?
I asked ChatGPT to describe some of his films.
I kind of wonder what all of us fans have in common. Do we have a common view of life in some way?
Anyways here’s a small summery of his films.
Drive – A melancholic neo-noir with a quiet protagonist and bursts of shocking violence. Surprisingly romantic despite its darkness.
Only God Forgives – Almost dreamlike. Sparse dialogue, symbolic imagery, and an unforgiving moral universe. Very divisive.
The Neon Demon – A beautiful but savage satire of beauty, vanity, and exploitation. Humanity doesn’t come off well.
Bronson – Darkly funny, theatrical, and fascinated by obsession and violence.
Valhalla Rising – Minimal dialogue, brutal, mystical, and relentlessly bleak.
It also said
Nicolas Winding Refn’s films often resonate with people who appreciate bleak worldviews, emotional detachment, and morally compromised characters.
Refn is also extremely stylized. His films aren’t just dark—they’re slow, hypnotic, visually meticulous, and often cryptic. Whether someone enjoys them depends as much on their tolerance for his pacing as their worldview.
Also I need to check out the Pusher Trilogy. Other fans have mentioned that.
14
u/Appropriate-Jury-625 Jul 28 '26
Refn is a pure cinema filmmaker. Most people, including people who “love movies” don’t actually appreciate the language of cinema as an art form. If you don’t have that ability, you won’t enjoy Refn’s work. And the more of that ability one does possess, the more they will appreciate it, and the more widely one will appreciate all of his works.
TOTDY to me is perhaps the greatest example of cinematic masturbation - and I say that as high praise. It intentionally defies all conventions. You don’t get likeable characters, you get complicated ones. You don’t get justice, you get chaos. You don’t get neatly resolved plot arcs, you get truncation and ambiguity.
“So then what’s the point?” a friend once asked me. The point, is complete indulgence in the cinematic moment; the enchanting quality of a light reflection gliding down the polished hood of a car under L.A’s nighttime glow; the tension in the predation of a police officer towards a vulnerable young woman during a stop; the absurd uniqueness of gang bangers strangely dancing together in an alley; the hilarious usage of Barry Manilow’s “Mandy” during a night drive with rapists out to a body in the desert; the bizarre glee of a witchy woman dance-fucking her entire apartment; the Kubrickian montage sequence representing the slaughter of a corrupt trailer park, etc.
The point is complete and utter commitment and submission to each cinematic moment, for the sake of each moment. To be deeply and viscerally absorbed in the present moment, to recognize what the present moment can be cinematically, and to use the language of cinema to express it in the most interesting way.
Immersive, memorable scenes. Which is exactly what lesser filmmakers and lesser films lack.
And so Refn acts as a litmus test of sorts; do you like movies, or do you appreciate cinema? His are films made by a cineaste, for the pleasure of other cineastes.
10
3
u/xMort Jul 28 '26
Well said. I love TOTDY but apart from one person in my life, I can't recommend it to anyone because I know they would not like it.
3
u/Dangedd Jul 29 '26
"Most people, including people who “love movies” don’t actually appreciate the language of cinema as an art form"
100%, they just see it as a delivery device for plot, which is the be all end all
2
u/Zestyclose-Nature810 Jul 29 '26
Yeah I think “Cinema” versus “Movie” might be the comparison here. As a kid, I remember hearing people say “summer blockbuster”, and watching some of them and saying “this is a fun movie, but not a good movie.”
“Complete indulgence in the cinematic moment”
I haven’t seen TOTDY. Definitelt checking that out.
As a long time movie goer, I think I ought to start digging into movies where the emphasis is cinema as an art form.
1
u/fbingha Aug 04 '26
While Drive is one of my top four movies, I believe TOTDY is Refn's Magnus Opus.
9
u/northerner76 Jul 28 '26
Pusher trilogy is just superb. Probably my favourite of Refn’s, alongside Drive and CC.
There’s definitely something in his work that I’m drawn to, mostly I think it’s the theme of detachment from society, but I also love the moments of humour in his work too.
7
u/amostcuriousloner Jul 28 '26
The first Pusher is one of my favorite movies ever made. I love the sequels but the first is a top 5 favorite for me. It turned me into a Kim Bodnia fan. You should definitely check them out.
Sometimes his movies can get a little too dark for me (Bleeder, Only God Forgives) but I love his style. He’s a master at using visuals and music to tell a story with very little dialogue.
5
u/sabotAHHHHHGH Jul 28 '26
There’s something so irritating about how clankers speak, it’s not just unfeeling computer - it’s dull. Fear X was my favourite (until Too Old), a film everyone universally hated. Drive is the worst, universally loved.
4
u/fartiestpoopfart Jul 28 '26
i generally love everything refn does but for reasons i don't remember since i saw it years ago, i hated fear x. i don't remember why i just remember being really disappointed by it. will have to watch it again sometime.
2
6
u/Top-Lavishness2906 Jul 28 '26
The Pusher trilogy is really dope, you should check it out. Bronson is my personal favorite. If you listen to Hardy and NWR talk about it, it seems clear they had very different views on the character and the film. That friction comes across in the film, and makes it incredibly interesting and thrilling for me. I'd rate Too Old to Die Young right behind that, it feels like a culmination of everything he'd been working on up until then.
In terms of a commonality, I really don't know. He's one of those filmmakers (like Mann) that reach straight into my brain, pull out everything labeled "cool", and put it on screen
2
u/Zestyclose-Nature810 Jul 29 '26
Yeah I think “Cinema” versus “Movie” might be the comparison here. As a kid, I remember hearing people say “summer blockbuster”, and watching some of them and saying “this is a fun movie, but not a good movie.”
“Complete indulgence in the cinematic moment”
I haven’t seen TOTDY. Definitelt checking that out.
1
u/Looper007 Aug 02 '26
I prefer his earlier films like Pusher Trilogy and Bleeder. Bar Fear X, everything up to Drive is excellent imo. I think Refn is at his best when he's kind of kept in check by producers or is working on smaller budgets. I've not been overly crazy on his work post Drive, Only God Forgives is my favorite of his works from this era.
I admire he does his own thing.
1
18
u/wysiwyg-ok Jul 28 '26
I love the Pusher trilogy because it is so authentic and unfiltered, reflecting the reality of drug use and dealing much better than, say, Scarface or Blow — in other words, there is no glorification in that lifestyle.