I saw this film about two months ago and for some reason it made me really angry and I get mad every time I hear someone mention it, haha.

I'd have to say this, for me, is the very definition of pretentious filmmaking. The most popular compliment about it is that it "looks" amazing and beautiful - and it does - but, so what?! As a plus point, it's nowhere near enough to make me enjoy a full movie.

It's also made me realise how important it is to have someone to root for in a movie - I don't by any strecth need a clear-cut hero/good guy, but I need to root for someone or root for an actual outcome. This movie is crammed with the most disgusting, horrible, vile characters where I don't 'care' about what happens. I feel like I'm supposed to be buying into Gosling as the hero but on what premise? If anyone's the hero, then it's Chang - at least (as demented as he is) he had a moral code, and frankly eliminating Gosling and his famly was surely a good thing. The absolute beating he gave Gosling made him even more pathetic.

As for the script, you can get away with not huge amounts of talking, that isn't what bothered me, but what irritates me is the five minute vacant staring before and after anyone says anything.

Ok, y'see, my blood's boiling again.