This article is an attempt to analyze the controversial film Only God forgives in terms of its creative inspirations associated with the Far Eastern spirituality. The works of Nicolas Winding Refn were chosen as a basis for those reflections. They include eight movies and constantly appearing themes: existentialism, the duality of the human soul, the eternal struggle between good and evil, and violence as a form of art expression. The later part of this article focuses on the syncretic meanings of those themes for the major philosophical ideas and historical motifs found in Thailand. These include: the duality of the human soul combined with the dual nature of the way of the warrior and  Buddhist elements which are complementing it. The perception of an martial arts master as an artist, and the role of spiritualised violence in his artistic expression. The main motive of a mother and son relationship as an attempt at  dialogue with certain issues of Confucianism. And Taoist opposing forces – yin and yang, as a resemblance of the struggle of Thai people to preserve their independence against Western colonizers. The author hopes that this  modest contribution to the debate on the art works of Nicolas Winding Refn will be a subject for further studies.