The Place Beyond the Pines

THE PLACE BEYOND THE PINES (15)

D: Derek Cianfrance

Focus Features / Electric City (Sidney Kimmel, Jamie Patricof, Lynette Howell Taylor & Alex Orlovsky)

US 🇺🇸 2012 (released 2013)

140 mins

Crime/Drama

W: Derek Cianfrance, Ben Coccio & Darius Marder

DP: Sean Bobbitt

Ed: Jim Helton & Ron Patane

Mus: Mike Patton

Bradley Cooper (Avery Cross), Ryan Gosling (Luke Glanton), Eva Mendes (Romina Gutierrez), Dane DeHaan (Jason), Emory Cohen (AJ Cross), Rose Byrne (Jennifer Cross), Mahershala Ali (Kofi), Ben Mendelsohn (Robin)

The Place Beyond The Pines really is a film of three acts, quite literally, as each segment focuses on a different character which is all part of the same overall story.

The first third of the movie focuses on the fractured relationship between Luke (Ryan Gosling), a carnival stunt rider, and Romina, the mother of his newborn son.  Luke tries to provide for his son the straight way, but turns to robbing banks to make ends meet.

The second part of the story focuses on police officer Avery (Bradley Cooper) politicking in a precinct full of corrupt cops, whilst the third and final act takes place over a decade later, when the sons of the two men become introduced to each other at the same school.

Though the unfolding of the story is quite jarring, especially between the second and third acts due to the time jump, this makes for a great crime thriller, balancing drama, tragedy and morality, with the thief shown as doing something wrong for the right reasons and those supposedly on the side of law and order being far from squeaky clean.

Good performances from the entire ensemble & another solid film from writer-director Derek Cianfrance, following his 2010 breakthrough Blue Valentine (qv).

8/10