A new trailer for Nicolas Winding Refn's latest collaboration with Ryan Gosling, Only God Forgives, has rolled out online ahead of its release in the US next month. The film, which caused huge controversy and split critics at the Cannes Film Festival, follows Gosling as a drug-smuggler thriving in Bangkok's criminal underwood.

Masquerading as a boxing club owner, Julian is living the high life shifting drugs, though life becomes complicated when he is urged by his mother (Kristin Scott Thomas) to avenge the violent and horrifying death of his brother. 

Ryan GoslingRyan Gosling At The Premiere Of His Last Movie - A Place Beyond The Pines

For a couple of hours at least, Only God Forgives was a contender for the prestigious Palme d'Or at Cannes following a flurry of strong reviews. "Winding Refn's bizarre infernal creation, an entire created world of fear, really is gripping. Every scene, every frame, is executed with pure formal brilliance," said the Guardian's Peter Bradshaw. "Some of the most adrenalising moments in motor racing are not the victories but the crashes, and Only God Forgives is the spectacle of a brilliant young director spinning out in style. It's a beautiful disaster," said the Telegraph's Robbie Collin. 

Watch the Only God Forgives trailer:

However, it didn't tell the whole story and many walked out of the Cannes premiere on account of the explicit violence. Some stayed to boo. According to The Guardian, one American woman exclaimed loudly as she exited: "This is sh*t." Even its British star Kristin Scott Thomas told the press, "Films where this kind of violence happens I don't enjoy watching at all." It is understood also Scott Thomas struggled to deliver at least one of Refn's lines while shooting the film - Gosling apparently described it as "the worst thing you can say to a woman in America."

Should you want to decide for yourself, Only God Forgives hits theaters in the U.S. on July 19 and in the UK on August 2, 2013.

Nicolas Winding RefnNicolas Winding Refn At The Cannes Film Festival