Film Review: The Place Beyond the Pines

Director: Derek Cianfrance

A 2013 American crime drama from the man who brought us Blue Valentine also starring Ryan Gosling, Cianfrance, who also co-wrote the screenplay, shows us very real lives of people in small-town America set around New York state and the surrounding area. The Place Beyond the Pines is set in Schenectady in upstate New York which a quiet town of unremarkable people and is loosely translated in Mohawk to mean "the place beyond the pine plains".

Luke (Ryan Gosling) is a drifter who works as a motorcycle stunt rider who whilst doing a show in Schenectady ends up meeting up with Romina (Eva Mendes) who he had a fling with last time he was in town a year ago. After he tries to rekindle the romance he learns that Romina had his baby, called Jason, and wasn't going to tell him whilst she lives her own life with her boyfriend Kofi (Mahershala Ali) and her mother. Luke quits his job to help raise the baby but his minimum wage job with Robin (Ben Mendelsohn) isn't enough so they decide to start robbing banks, a botched robbery brings him together with Avery Cross (Bradley Cooper) who is a newly trained policeman whose actions changes everyone's lives forever.

Luke Glanton (Ryan Gosling) with Romina (Eva Mendes) and their son Jason

I tried not to give too much away in my synopsis and will endeavor to do the same throughout the rest of my review as there is so much more to what happens in this film than you can learn from watching the trailer or even reading what is above. It's a film that pulls quite a few surprises as the film progresses but these bold plot changes are decisive and never looked back upon, it leaves you considering what the film will do next but it doesn't leave you too long to ponder this.

The acting in this movie is superb from the two lead men Ryan Gosling and Bradley Cooper, Gosling as the tattooed drifter with a violent temper from a poor background and Cooper as the honourable father and cop from a middle class background. The film deals a lot with the issue of background and upbringing in shaping people's lives, how much does your background shape your opportunities in the future? Are sons destined to become like their fathers regardless of circumstance?

Avery Cross (Bradley Cooper)

The film falls into three acts of differing length that focus on different parts of the story, a different plot device to the usual and it improves the intrigue of the movie all the more for it. The final act loses its way and is slightly unsure how exactly the movie should end and because of this it falls just short of a full four out of four.  It deals with possibly too many issues with regards to broken families, corruption, crime and politics but each topic is dealt with great care and consideration.

The Place Beyond the Pines is ambitious in what it wants to convey but this ambition should be rewarded as the final product is compelling and thoughtful, I certainly took a lot away from the film and was left pondering many things as I walked out of the cinema. With this being the era of dumbed down blockbusters it's great to enjoy a truly intelligent and thought provoking drama.

3.5/4 Enthralling and surprising plot adds to some standout acting performances