The Place Beyond the Pines - Film Review

Ryan Gosling plays Luke Glanton, a motorcycle stuntman who, after having a fling with Romina Gutierrez, played by Eva Mendes, and having to leave her for a year because of his job, returns only to find out that he has a child with her and that she's shacked up with someone else! Luke quits his stuntman job and decides to start robbing banks in order to provide for his son. Bradley Cooper plays Avery Cross, a rookie cop considered a hero after taking a bullet in the line of duty who ends up running for Attorney General of New York. Emory Cohen and Dane DeHaan play A.J. and Jason, two troubled teenagers.

The Place Beyond the Pines is directed by Derek Cianfrance who also co-wrote it alongside Ben Coccio and Darius Marder. It's a good film, it's definitely ambitious in scope but I just don't think it quite achieves what it was trying to, it felt like they were trying to make some sort of point but never did. The story is told in three sections, Gosling's part, Cooper's part and then Cohen and DeHaan's part, there's themes of fatherhood, destiny and consequence but ultimately it didn't seem like the film said anything about them other than that they happen sometimes and that they're often tricky things to deal with, that's it though.

It's not a bad film, it's sufficiently written and sufficiently directed and the performances were all good, it's fairly well paced and there's tension and excitement in it. The characters are a little one demensional and I wasn't emotionally invested in anyone or anything but I enjoyed the ride, this is actually the second time I've watched it but I remember enjoying it more the first time. The main problem here is the lack of a satisfying conclusion, with a running time of 2 hours and 20 minutes my main question is just why have you kept me here that long? If it didn't feel like it had a point I wouldn't mind, but it did, so what was it?

The performances are fine Ryan Gosling plays that stoic character he's been playing recently in films like Drive, Only God Forgives and Blade Runner 2049, it's somehow managed to carve a successful career out of not acting, or acting as little as possible in these roles and to be fair it fucking works! I absolutely hated Eva Mendes in this, her character's a weak, pathetic, lying little slut! Why she decided not to tell Luke he had a son is beyond me, it's the beyond the pines! She shacks up with some other guy then fucks Luke when he turns up with money, what a horrible person, I don't think that was intended either so it's a fail.

Dane DeHaan was great, I see a bright future in cinema for this kid, everything I've seen him in he's been great, everything except The Amazing Spier-Man 2 of course but that's just an awful film, everything else I've seen him in he's been great! Bradley Cooper's fine, I'm not a huge fan of Bradley Cooper, he's sufficient enough I suppose but completely forgettable, his best role is Rocket Raccoon in Guardians of the Galaxy! Emory Cohen was fine I suppose, his character was irritating and Ray Liotta's in this as well, it's Ray Liotta. There's nothing to write home about with any of these performances, they're okay.

I'm a bit disappointed with this, I remember it being a lot better for some reason, it's probably worth a watch though either way, it's a decent ride with tension and excitement and a feeling of not knowing where it's all leading, Spoiler; it leads nowhere! I'd give it an extremely luke warm recommendation to both hardcore and casual films fans, possibly more so the casual fans on this one though, it's not bad, it's not great but it's a solid good! I'm gonna give The Place Beyond the Pines 6.8/10, I didn't hate it, I didn't love it, I liked it and if it either had a point or didn't try to make one it would have been a much more enjoyable film.

What's your favourite Ryan Gosling film?