Easily the best of 2013 so far. This movie had so much emotion with the soundtrack, characters, and symbolism. Where Django Unchained had me at the edge of my seat with excitment and laughter, PBP hit me right in the heart and soul.

This can only be described as major disappointment. The story trajectory is sound, but the whole thing is so slow and drawn out that any real involvement with the characters just doesn't happen. Also, unlike many critics I was more interested in the segments involving Bradley Cooper and the two sons than I was in the Ryan Gosling section, despite this actor's obvious magnetism. It's a shame because there are some wonderful nuances and subtleties throughout which just made me yearn for the film it might have been.… Expand

'The Place Beyond the Pines' rushes through it numerous sections and fails to incorporate the plausibility and emotional depth required to make it the authentically gritty drama it desperately wants to be. Dane DaHaan is the only redeeming feature in a film which is too clichéd to be taken seriously and too drawn out to be entertaining.

Very good acting, slow tedious development of the drama. Three different episodes poorly laced together. I'd rather seen them as three individual stories. No cinematic innovation in three very predictable outcomes.
It's a bland production.

It's certainly a movie worth seeing, and I'm a big fan of Derek Cianfrance (especially the fantastic Blue Valentine), but this movie gets long and unwieldy after about a third of the way in. It was unfortunate that more of the lead characters couldn't interact through more of the film. What I will say is that the mood, the music, and the visuals are outstanding, so even if it gets a little meandering toward the middle and the end (and you get the dreaded "10 years later"), it's something that should be experienced.… Expand

You have to be kidding. The movie doesn't end, and so predictable, that it's almost laughable. Who writes this stuff? Great actors with two movies rolled into one. Both terrible.

For a change we have a movie that wends in ways least expected and it comes in 3 parts. If you've seen the promo it's about part 1. This may be a tad long for the younger generation but it has a retro feel to it that us older folk like. It has an hors d'oeuvre of different actors, all enjoying their cameos to the hilt, and the steady, delectable presence of Eva Mendes, in a toned down mode. Let's just say that the sins and virtues of the fathers get carried down to the sons, in different guises.… Expand

If the first third of the movie could have been compressed to 15 minutes and the whole story told in two halves, this would have been a better movie. Maybe the director felt that he owed Gosling screen time, performing a character he had already done in "Drive." The overlong first part does pay off, however: the last two parts of movie compelling viewing. And I hate to say this--but the actor Emory Cohen reminiscent of young Brando.… Expand

I was eagerly awaiting for this film to come out with expectations that it would be special. And even though I was not disappointed by the end result, I am still a little annoyed as this could have been a masterpiece.
A poetic film defined by its velvety cinematography, a brilliant soundtrack and a beautifully woven layered storyline. The casting is absolutely superb (apart from Emory Cohen who is indifferent and in someways one of the few flaws of the otherwise perfect film) starting with the the mesmerizing Gosling, the on-form Cooper, the unexpectedly brilliant Mendes, the always harrowing Liotta, the consistently cool Mednelsohn and the up and coming intense DeHaan.
A Greek like tragedy appears to have 3 distinct acts, the first of which is heavenly, the second near spotless (a tad longer than it should have been) and a third only let down by the uneven performance of Cohen, which leaves you guessing whether it is a chance to find redemption or to restart the cycle all over again.… Expand

Garsh, I loved this movie. Reminded me of A History of Violence, another great movie. I will see almost any movie that has Ray Liotta or Ed Harris in it.

In both films, the sons almost steal the movie from their fathers...

A true independent art film. It does have a good start (but that is almost a whole other movie in itself) and a good ending (another movie) but the middle hour is unwatchable at times because of the overly dramatic art film tone... "I am a serious film shots". I couldn't believe how many people kept getting up in the middle to go to the restroom because things were so slow. Very unusual. There is a solid 90 minutes in a 140 minute film. You got the feeling that there was either pressure to keep some scenes of the A list actors in (so as not to offend them for having actually shot them) or the director's (student film ego) wouldn't allow it to be cut. Either way, if interested, rent the DVD so you can fast forward and see the good scenes and skip over over the top drama. You can come into the film 40 minutes late and it would probably be better. The middle wouldn't be so boring because you would be pieceing things together.… Expand

The best movie of 2013 so far. good drama, action, acting, and direction. Strong story about life's lessons. Long movie but it moves along smoothly.

Great movie, one of the best I've seen in a couple of years even. Nice surprises too, there were points I was expected the usual over-done events to occur where instead the story went in a completely different direction. Great performances too. Nothing really to complain about strangely and I'm usually one for knit-picking.

The story is so melodramatic that this movie is a failure, despite its technical and stunt strengths. It is a failure despite one's suspicions that the melodrama is deliberate. It's a failure despite reuniting the Cianfrance/Gosling team from Blue Valentine.
You will probably like this movie if you like to look at Gosling and Cooper for 2 hours. You will probably like this movie if you thought that Haggis' Crash was a good movie and not a ham-fisted melodrama. Anyone else should really stay away, despite the PR/marketing hype that it's an artful indie movie.… Expand

You will either walk out of this movie being incredibly thankful for the life that you have, or you will see the world as completely messed up and pointless. This is not a happy movie. It makes Blue Valentine look like Singin' in the Rain. The script is fascinating, but it reveals truths about some aspects of life that are hard to even mention, let alone sit through two and a half hours of, during a movie. The cast is overall very strong, especially Dane Dehaan, who deserves an Oscar nomination for his performance. This is a very frustrating movie, probably because it is so realistic. It is absolutely my favorite movie of the year so far, and another resounding success on the director's part.… Expand

A recent cinema-going of American indie hopeful Derek Cianfrance’s follow-up of his breakthrough BLUE VALENTINE (2010, 7/10), reunited with Ryan Gosling and recruited hot blood Bradley Cooper and Eva Mendes, but don’t be fooled by the misguiding trailer, it is not a cat-catching-mouse robbery thriller, this 140 minutes saga strenuously narrates a karma-inducing retribution epic, although igh it has its ponderous clumsiness during its execution, and an inclination of descending gusto may stall one’s concentration along the way, the film (not the least) did a decent job in treating its material fairly, and arduously carves out a thorough realisation of a modern-day tragedy (through a triad narrative).

The film begins with a shot of Ryan Gosling’s bulky naked upper-body before his motorcycle stunt performance, tracking under shadowy light with wobbly camera movement, markedly implying a Nicolas Winding Refn’s DRIVE (2011, 8/10) analog, continues with a robbery crime under the way to ensure his future with his beloved girl (and his infant son), it’s like a redo of the said Gosling-Refn variegated palette experiment, so there must be some twist awaits, and the leverage here was whether or not it would pay off, luckily in my opinion, it worked.

When Bradley Cooper appears first time after 50 minutes more or less, the film portentously is channeled to start a new page with Cooper’s salt-of-the-earth leading man bonhomie, a standard “hero” in the plot, it also augurs the slackening of the tautness and volatility, occasionally a wisp of stolidness wafts around until the third act with a blunt 15-years-later transition, Dane DeHann (the on-the-horizon new Harry Osborn in the upcoming sequel of the rebooted SPIDER-MAN franchise) and Emory Cohen (from the TV leftover SMASH) assume the next-generation clash, but since the film lingers too long, as a matter of course, a benumbing fatigue hinder’s one’s attention to the their puerile strife, only when the tit-for-tat showdown arrives (predated with many plot-facilitating coincidences), there is a spasm of tension hanging in a moment with a satisfactory consequence the tacky mercifulness prevails again.

About the shaky-cam camerawork, now becomes stale even in the mainstream filmmaking, but Cianfrance and DP Sean Bobbitt are not wavering in difficult shots, for the opening motors-crisscross-in-the-steel-globe gambit and especially with the frenetic robbery sequences, which by the way is amateurishly perfunctory (maybe on purpose to evade copycats), the thrill is tangible while the whole tale is far-fetched.

A hindsight, the ignition of the story is triggered by a response ad lib by Mendes’ mother, so it seems that the ability to keep secret is generally considered as a foible predisposed upon female sex, an ironic discovery!… Expand

The Place Beyond the Pines rushes out to a fast beginning giving the audience so much but by half way through, becomes a slow and drawn out film that loses its intensity it once had.

Director Derek Cianfrance's film links together three separate, yet interlinked, stories of two families in a manner that is certainly not without risk. Roughly a third of the film's two hour plus running time each, the shift in narrative and characters, certainly from the first to second, is so sudden that it caused the film to lose all momentum on two occasions. Being led, deliberately no doubt, in one direction by the trailer, I found myself checking my watch after 50 minutes, so sudden is the shift in story. Second time around was less of a shock, as I began to appreciate what Cianfrance was trying to achieve. However, given the fragmented nature of the narrative, being asked to invest in three stories, each slightly less enjoyable than the previous, totalling two hours plus is stretching the capacity of the audience.

That's the negatives out of the way.

Saving and driving The Place Beyond the Pines into success, is the standard of the film's cast and Cianfrance's and cinematographer Sean Bobbitt's visuals. Starting with the cast, the performances of leads Gosling and Cooper are first rate. Gosling's bank robbing rider channels all of the raw, stoic cool, audiences have become accustomed to, while Cooper is excellent as the troubled, professionally and emotionally, police officer, under pressure from wife, father and colleagues. The accolades shouldn't stop there, Mendes gives an emotionally fraught performance as Luke's old flame, Ben Mendelsohn was my favourite as Luke's partner in crime and Ray Liotta dials in the menace as only he can as a corrupt cop asking more of Avery. Youngsters Dane De Haan and Emory Cohen, also hit the right notes with their performances, even though I have to say I didn't like either character.

Going back to the visuals, the film looks stunning, with some excellent vistas and use of colours, interspersed amongst the scenes of bikes racing through streets and forests and personal nature of close-up shots during more intimate scenes.

Certainly different to what I was expecting when I took my seat, Cianfrance took some risks with the plot and didn't win them all but The Place Beyond The Pines is nonetheless a strong film anchored by an excellent cast, superb visuals and strong script.… Expand

This is a riveting movie. Although long, it moves at warp speed. Beautifully filmed, judiciously edited, and acted impeccably, it is as urgent and moving a film as I have ever seen. I was not a fan of either Bradley Cooper and Ryan Gosling or Eva Mendes--that has changed. It is the supporting players, however, who steal the film. It's a tough minded, morally complex, greatly moving fillm.

In a time when it is difficult to see something truly original or epic in theaters, The Place Beyond the Pines offers a bold attempt at being both. Essentially split into three interweaving stories of a criminal, a cop, and their two young sons. Very well acted, competently written, and with a somber soundtrack that establishes its dreary and cynical tone throughout. Far superior to Blue Valentine, which I found pretentious and unspectacular. This is one of the good ones, and well worth a shot if you can still catch it in the cinema.… Expand

I recommend watching it. The actors really seemed to put a good effort in their rules, which worked out well. The plot was maybe a bit too simple or something, I am not really sure. I wouldn't consider it a favourite, and I didn't feel super inspired after watching it like one might after watching a film which affected them well. But I liked it, and I am glad I watched it. I would watch it again.

I highly enjoyed this film. I'm not really giving anything away that other reviews haven't said, but the movie is broken up into three parts. The first part was simply incredible. Acting, soundtrack, story, the whole nine yards. I should have realized that the movie couldn't continue on the same level for an entire 2 hours and 20 minutes.....the middle dragged on a little but it picked up again at the end. Honestly though, it has been 3 days since I saw it in theaters and the first segment of The Place Beyond the Pines is all I've been able to think about. It's that good. Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed parts two and three as well but man....just go see it for yourself.… Expand

Wading through the tepid waters of today’s Hollywood blockbusters, I love when an Indie is so undeniably perfect that it makes me fall in love with film all over again. “The Place Beyond the Pines” is one of those movies that will have you asking yourself, “how did the filmmaker do that?” Not just technically, but emotionally as well. The filmmaker in question is one Derek Cianfrance. A fiance. A filmmaker who rose to notoriety with the terribly overrated “Blue Valentine”. But with the help of the writing team of Ben Coccio and Darius Marder, and I mustn’t forget a superbly constructed ensemble, including the likes of Ryan Gosling, Eva Mendes, Bradley Cooper, Rose Byrne, Bruce Greenwood and Ray Liotta, Cianfrance has created the best film of the year (so far).
“The Place Beyond the Pines” is a story told in three parts; three storylines which parallel and intersect over and over again in the most breathtaking ways. That said, I don’t know how much I can even divulge from each without spoiling this magnificently structured tale of regret.
The reason this Triptych format is one of the most well constructed I’ve ever seen, is simply because audiences don’t have to wait until the final act for the stories to converge. The brilliance lies in Cianfrance’s ability to cause his three stories to intersect over and over again throughout the entire film. Which leads me to undoubtedly the most interesting factor of this movie; i.e. how it is almost entirely predicated on contrivances. OK, so of course a movie where multiple storylines converge into one is going to have contrivances; contrivances dealing with chance meetings or dealing with introducing major characters in the late second act or early third. But let me tell you, though there are many “chance meeting” contrivances here, Cianfrance, Coccio and Marder have constructed such an airtight script, that nothing seems farfetched or unbelievable for a second.
The Acting: As exceptional as the acting was throughout (yes, even from Eva Mendes) the performance which may steal the show for many, may not be from the actor you think. Not to say Gosling isn’t doing his thing here, but Cianfrance isn’t the first person to recognize what Gosling can do with a single longing gaze. And basically Gosling, through no fault of his own, puts forth a performance which we (as viewers) are accustomed to seeing. But, Bradley Cooper is simply on another level here, putting forth a stripped down performance, which is in turn the best performance of his career.
Final Thought: As a forewarning, I should state that “The Place Beyond the Pines” is one movie which is meant to put its audiences through the emotional ringer. So if you aren’t in the mood for something heavy, then you may want to see “Oblivion” or “Scary Movie 5” or some other mindless piece of crap like that. But if you are in the mood to see a film that will undoubtedly still be on everyone’s lips come Oscar season, then this is not a movie to miss. Everybody is different, but when I see a great scene, a scene that engages me fully, a scene which transcends film altogether, it makes me smile. Suffice to say, throughout this film, I was all smiles. That statement leads me to this final question: This movie is so fantastic that even though it’s only April, what could possibly come out this year that is going to be better than “The Place Beyond the Pines”?

Written by Markus Robinson, Edited by Nicole I. Ashland
Follow me on Twitter @moviesmarkus… Expand

Breathtaking cinematography. Beautiful and compelling. Incredible first act, story overlaid onto a town like Schenectady which is as much a character in the way it affects the players.

Three movies for the price of one, or a great lesson on how your actions today can affect things for years to come. You decide. Many scenes you feel the suspense not because of what you don't know that will happen but because you know exactly what will. Bradley Cooper is almost unrecognizable with his character being so opposite from his more comedic roles we have seen. Eva Mendes is excellent as always as she carries many scenes with her emotion. Ryan Gosling plays a similar role as in Drive but with this movie he gets to do the things you were expecting with that other artsy film. If I had to sum this movie up into one word it would be, satisfying.… Expand

E’ risaputo, con i se e con i ma non si fa la storia. Epperò… Quale sarebbe il giudizio complessivo su ‘Come un tuono’ se il ritmo e la tensione narrativa si mantenessero sempre sui livelli della prima ora (cioè fino a che rimane in scena Ryan Gosling)? Con ogni probabilità, si passerebbe dalla categoria buono (o anche ottimo) film a quella di capolavoro: purtroppo, così non ma c’è materia c’è materia a sufficienza per dichiararsi soddisfatti. Per il suo esordio ad alto budget, l’indipendente Cianfrance sceglie una soggetto complesso e ambizioso (scritto assieme a Ben Coccio e Darius Marder e musicato con discrezione da Mike Patton) che innesta tocchi di noir su di un dramma familiare e psicologico con contorno di ipocrisie, sensi di colpa ed errori che ricadono sui figli le eco cattoliche si sprecano, così pare tutto meno che un caso il largo spazio dato al battesimo del piccolo Jason. La storia si compone di tre segmenti di lunghezza diseguale e qualità calante. Nel primo, quello lodato poche righe fa, protagonista Luke ‘il bello’, talentuoso motociclista che si guadagna da vivere nei luna-park e che passa alle rapine dopo aver scoperto di aver avuto un figlio a seguito di una-botta-e-via. Protagonista un Gosling biondo, bravo a rendere la complessità di un personaggio che ha il coraggio di farsi le domande giuste alle quali, però, finisce sempre per dare le risposte sbagliate: accanto a lui ci sono una Eva Mendes che disegna una ragazza-madre ben lontana dal sex-symbol e Bob Mendelsohn che fa lo stralunato come gli capita spesso nei panni dell’amico Robin. Una rapina andata a male segna il cambio di testimone: esce Luke, entra il poliziotto Avery Scott, che diventa un eroe per aver fermato il rapinatore, ma in fondo all’anima ha qualcosa che rode perché anche lui ha un figlio piccolo. Ciò non gli impedisce di distillare una serie di menzogne e di sfruttare ancor più cinicamente il cinismo di alcuni suoi colleghi (fra i quali Ray Liotta e un baffuto Gabe Fazio) per costruirsi una carriera politica a cui sacrifica anche la famiglia. Cooper lavora con cura su un ruolo non facile, molto sfaccettato a livello psicologico mentre all’esterno l’agente Scott si sforza di rimanere tutto d’un pezzo: così, quindici anni dopo e, all’apparenza, non invecchiato di un giorno eccolo in corsa per la procura distrettuale. A questo punto, i figli sono cresciuti (senza padre entrambi, a vedere così) e il loro incontro finisce per tirare qualche somma, ma senza stravolgere davvero nulla, perché la vita un grande fiume tranquillo dove, alla fine, il più forte ce l’ha sempre vinta. Come già accennato, in queste ultime parti, e in special modo in quella conclusiva, si notano ridondanze e lungaggini che rallentano la narrazione abbassando il giudizio complessivo, ma senza danneggiare il coinvolgimento dello spettatore creato anche da una qualità delle interpretazioni confermata dai giovani Cohen e DeHaan. L’essenza stessa della storia rende evidente che se c’è una cosa che non va, questa un titolo italiano decisamente fuorviante: molto meglio quello originale, che altro non che la traduzione dal mohawk di Schenectady, il nome della cittadina (nello stato di New York) in cui si svolge la vicenda. Si tratta di una provincia placida e immersa nel verde che Cianfrance riprende con cura del dettaglio (cura che, del resto, si riflette nelle inquadrature dei personaggi) e dalla quale per cambiare qualcosa necessario andar via. Le uniche scene adrenaliniche sono difatti quelle in cui c’è Luke in moto (negli Stati Uniti il casco non obbligatorio? Per non parlare dei passaggi di proprietà…) e durante le rapine, pare girate in un’unica ripresa: improvvise variazioni di ritmo che sono ulteriore testimonianza di un notevole talento registico, del resto già annunciato dalla splendida sequenza dei titoli di testa.… Expand

Not enough praise can be given to a film like this. It boasts a great cast, beautiful cinematography and a raw, haunting and provoking score. But what makes it truly stand out is the bold, never timid, screenplay. One of the more engrossing cinematic experiences I've ever had.

Easily the very best movie of 2013 thus far. And one of my favorite movies. It was just excellent. The setting of the movie really made it all. Small town New York. It really captured the meaning of Sins of the Father. And how they can carry generation to generation. It was just perfect execution on both sides. This was a movie that was totally unpredictable. I would have never seen the direction of Luke go the way it went. It was a thrill ride to watch from start to finish. It was a lot better than Cianfrance's Blue Valentine, and I loved that movie. Dear Derek Cianfrance, Please continue to make movies. If The Place Beyond The Pines budget was indeed $15 Million, I can't imagine what you could do with a $40 Million budget. Signed, Clay Merritt

Excellent movie, I highly recommend it.… Expand

The first really good movie I've seen this year. Sucks that it takes until mid-April for a crime-thriller-drama this good to finally hit theaters. ...Beyond The Pines was refreshing, I did not know exactly where the story was going, and although the run time is over two hours long, it paces itself well. Nice to see a movie starring some big "names" share the screen without one or the other taking over the picture for the sake of their celebrity. Just a good story, well acted and crafted. This movie has put Derek Cianfrance in my list of filmmakers to watch out for.… Expand

Structurally daring and affecting all throughout, "The Place Beyond The Pines" is a gorgeously shot, character-driven epic with marvelous performances all around and a truly haunting score.

Amazing film. After 2010s Blue Valentine, Derek Cianfrance again partners with Ryan Gosling on a film about the workings of the family unit, but this time he focuses on fathers in particular. The film is split into three interrelated storylines, each one so well done and excellently developed that we almost get 3 (great) films at once. At a lengthy 2hrs. 20 minutes, The Place Beyond Pines packs a powerful punch thanks the involving story, perfect performances from the cast, and the flawless direction from Cianfrance. He was somehow able to catch every actor at their absolute best and most realistic moment on camera; the performances are all stunning. Ryan Gosling, Bradley Cooper, and Dane Dehaan are electric, and Eva Mendes, Rose Bryne, Ray Liotta, Ben Mendelsohn round out a stunning supporting cast. Though I felt the film was a bit heavily plotted at times (a bit like Blue Valentine was as well, actually), overall the film remains grounded. I fell for every bit of it. Thought provoking, unpredictable, and wholly original, The Place Beyond the Pines is one of the best films of the year.… Expand

Though it feels like the director is looking for something more than it already is, Place Beyond The Pines provides great performances including a stepping stone performance for Eva Mendes.

One of the more emotional films I have seen. A great film with Great cinematography and a beautiful soundtrack. Gosling's performance and Mendehlson;s were the most impressive of the film. Towards the end it starts to get a little shaky but overall I was very happy with it. A crime film about fathers and the legacy's they leave for there kids. Go see this film.

It's original, fresh and so lavishing that you will cry at the end. The Place Beyond The Pines is a elegant cinematic masterpiece by Derek Cinafrence who has made great films like Blue Valentine. The film has very good thrilling sequences of lore and dramatic sequences of love. The film has great pace and movie quality. The Place Beyond The Pines is epic.

The best movie I've seen so far in 2013. The first two parts of this film are fantastic led by great performances by Ryan Gosling and Bradley Cooper. The third part while good does lack compared to the first two, but the first two are so good it still deserves a ten.

This film as the title suggests is about what happens after we die and the legacy we leave behind, particularly the actions of Ryan Goslings character. The film is well acted through out with stand out performances by Gosling and Bradley Coopers characters and the Robin character. The film is split into 3 parts with clear story lines in the first 2 and a convoluted 3rd act. The action is well done in this film and it really feels like your in the scene with the use of slight shaking camera and fixed camera angles making the action more immersing. My biggest problem with the film was the 3rd act which features the two most annoying characters in the film and the worst story line of the film. Also i felt that certain characters didn't have complete story arcs.
Rating 8 out of 10
A great film ending on a bit of a bum note… Expand

This movie is amazing. I feel like Cianfrance knows me, my parents and my family the way he weaves characters together. Blue Valentine already hit close to home and this is Cianfrance doing his thing on a bigger scale. He is a master behind the camera and he has an amazing team in front of the camera. I'm sure this movie will have many haters for its unwieldy structure, but I love this movie and I know others will stand up for it as well. Derek Cianfrance, please keep making movies, because they really do it for me like no other movies do.… Expand

The Place Beyond the Pines directed by Derek Cianfrance, a film that I was surprised, excited, involved me very much, very good actors, good director, in short, a wonderful film.

Let’s talk about misleading movie trailers for a minute. A trailer is basically just an advertisement for a movie and really has no obligation to describe the plot or even show things that will end up in the final cut of the movie. The goal is to get you to watch the film being previewed by any means necessary. Recently the most famous example of this was the trailer for Drive. It madede the movie out to be a high octane action thriller in the mold of Fast and Furious but starring beef cake Ryan Gosling. For anyone that saw the movie, you know it wasn’t that at all. A lady actually demanded her money back after seeing it because she expected it to have more action. The reason I bring this up is because The Place Beyond the Pines had a pretty misleading trailer as well. Is it something about Ryan Gosling movies that leads the studio into deceiving the audience? I’m not sure. Usually I do the research and read a couple reviews before walking into a movie because I’m a responsible film goer, but when I went to see Pines, I wasn’t expecting what it actually turned out to be at all. (Warning: Spoilers Ahead)

Read More At: http://www.recomedia.net/filmtv/the-place-beyond-the-pines-review/… Expand

This movie was very disappointing to me. I went into it knowing almost nothing about the plot or characters except that Ryan Gosling played a character somewhat similar to that of Drive, an edgy, sometimes soft-spoken man, but full of intensity and anger bordering on rage at other times, (Drive is in my top 3 movies of all time list). The first "act" of this movie was absolutely phenomenal, but I can't help but feel somewhat annoyed that all of the main characters never mingled and interacted with each other like a big-name cast usually does. For me, the climax of this movie was less than an hour into a 2 1/2 hour venture, and I still find myself wondering how the director possibly thought the rest of the film could live up to Gosling's performance. The character portrayal and acting in this movie is absolutely top-notch and it should be watching for just that reason alone, but the story telling brought it down a little short of landing near my all-time favorites list. If the director had somehow copied the intensity and real, raw emotion of the first hour and transplanted it into the remainder of the film, it might have been talked about as all time time great, not just one of the best of the year.… Expand

This movie was like none I've seen in a while. It captures how a single exchange with a human being can alter our life forever, the impact one person can have on our life. It captures how life comes full circle and does it in such an original way. It's like watching 3 films in one. Brilliant. Brilliant. Brilliant.

This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Ryan Gosling embodies Luke Glanton, the relentless force of nature rousing The Place beyond The Pines. An engrossing one-shot opening sequence tracks Glanton’s movements through to the stunt bike rider’s death-defying performance within a caged orb. He sustains his velocity upon his release as he pursues leading-lady Eva Mendes and this hurtling through life intensifies under emotional charge, inevitably (in hindsight) resulting in his rapid exit. What follows is effectively an ode to the magnetism and impact of the character, whose absence is as prominent as his presence was striking. His momentum is shown to continue through a vague spiritual connection to Bradley Cooper’s generally prosaic character. Later, the on-going shockwaves of Glanton’s life impact upon others and his legend haunts in a manner reminiscent of the distant piano keys in the theme song, filtering through to his troubled and introspectively immersed son’s late incarnation as the doomed rider. Yet, despite the best efforts to appease, his on-screen aura is long lost.

The oblique introduction of Cooper as Avery Cross, a central figure, is a directorial masterstroke and emphasizes the arbitrary nature of the new lead character becoming embroiled in to chaos. Just as at the start of the film, the heights of the professional exploits of a lead character are the source of information we observe, before the camera pans out to reveal more about the subject’s personality. This is mirrored by the initial delay in the revealing of the character’s face, demanding the need to look further in the pursuit of identity. It occurs during a phenomenal chase scene, where palpable realism causes the viewer to disengage from the suspension of disbelief and marvel at the escape attempt. It is a moment which combines both the embrace and abandonment of self-preservation; a visual summary of Glanton, before Cross and Glanton tag-in and out of the film with bullets, as the shock marinades during a striking depiction of the finality of death, as juxtaposed against the excesses of Glanton’s life.

Bound to despair by their own flaws and encapsulated by their location, Eva Mendes's character, Romina, displays contradictions that seem fleetingly implausible but serve to heighten her vulnerability, as she swings between rational independence and infatuated naiveté in the face of the transmitter of all affliction; Glanton. Elsewhere, Ben Mendelsohn’s loneliness elicits empathy and Bruce Greenwood’s steely conviction coated in professional pleasantries, is outstanding. Sean Bobbitt’s cinematography is an enduring treat, delivered through subtle use of rich textures and coloring, accompanying techniques that present action which supersedes any need for blockbusting visual effects. Meanwhile Ray Liotta is easy to despise as a corrupt cop, yet he joins the ranks of the fringe characters whose placement emphasizes blundering plot conclusions, in the attempt to generate the momentum lost in the first of the three disjointed acts.… Expand

This is one of my favorite 2013 films. Very unique and creative, takes very huge risks, and nails it. The acting choices are great, the direction, the music, the cinematography, the writing, and the perfect incorporation of the butterfly effect and karma makes this movie amazing. Also, I don't know if anyone noticed, but there were a lot of allusions to Star Wars in this movie. Watch it, and you will understand.… Expand

Disappointed with the disjointed nature of the movie at times. I was wishing for it to just get to the point of its obvious need to connect some important message between the death of the father, his murderer and the evolution of the orphaned son. I love Gosling in general but I was to eager for the movie to end---anywhere!

A very peculiar production by Derek Cianfrance, The Place Beyond the Pines, it tells a story in three separate parts. The first part of this movie is about a lost and confused man with a job in a traveling carnival trying to provide for his child by robbing banks. The second part of the story tells the story of a cop transitioning into a politician after dealings with dirty cops. The third part of The Place Beyond the Pines explains the fall out 15 years later when the first 2 character's sons meet each other. There are obvious stains in Cianfrance's creation but The Place Beyond the Pines is by far one of the most daring and brilliant films to be released so far this year.… Expand

This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Looking at the promo poster for The Place Beyond the Pines, we are immediately intrigued as to how director Derek Cianfrance is going to balance the play between the big names on display. The answer is: unconventionally.
Ryan Gosling is a man of many talents, none of which are much of a secret. However, his cold, hard stare which adorns said poster is a clear indication that Luke, his character in this film, will be much closer to the enigmatic yet volatile hard-nut of Drive than, say, the sweethearted bohemian Noah whom he brought to life in The Notebook.
And so the film opens with an Aronofsky-esque behind-the-head tracking shot of Gosling as he saunters from a grotty portacabin to his colloseum: the spherical cage in which he performs his dirt bike stunts. This shot is uninterrupted by cuts for a good five minutes. This film's beauty is in the simplicity.
Cianfrance displays many fine examples of his directorial expertise throughout the 140 minute runtime of TPBTP. Whether it's his intricate manipulation of silhouettes like those of Jason (Dane De Haan) and AJ (Emory Cohen, a young talent to keep a look out for, FYI) just as the boys' friendship is flourishing, or its his command of the expansive landscapes of upstate New York during the films closing scenes, no visuals on display here are anything short of impressive.
Bradley Cooper turns in a fine role. He's becoming quite a staple feature in Hollywood and this time he takes a turn as a good cop (which are few and far between in this movie) who then pursues a career in politics, all whilst battling troubles with family life and an over-bearing father with whom he evidently has some unresolved issues. It's a fine performance from Cooper, meanwhile, Eva Mendes just looks smashing as always.
The tracking head shots are used to introduce a shift in the character being focussed on, something the film does no less than 4 times. While this is a bold idea which could fall flat on its face, Cianfrance deploys it with precision and keeps the film at a consistent pace for its duration.
All in all, this is a film which explores, love, loss and desperation in depth. It is expertly directed, and the narrative does not suffer as a result of the ambitious directing. The fact that the film can dispose of a megastar like Gosling when the film is only 50 minutes old (What? This review was marked as spoiler-prone) and continue to be highly entertaining speaks for itself.
The Place Beyond the Pines will leave you with a lasting impression long after Jason's dirt bike takes him into the unknown and gets the end credits rolling.… Expand