The Place Beyond The Pines Review
Ryan Gosling and Bradley Cooper front this heavy drama littered with commentary on family, crime, intolerance and repercussions.
The film opens in a very moody close up tracking shot of Luke (Gosling) as he heads in to perform as part of a trio of stunt bike riders in a cage. Soon after we learn that Luke has fathered a child, and instead of hopping town, he quits his position at the fair and decides to stick around and try to make things work with his fairly estranged girlfriend and son. Being a man of few skills, and with a short fuse on his temper he soon takes to crime in order to make money.
Cooper plays young police officer, Avery, who also has a young son, and a wife. He finds himself very quickly drawn into police corruption by some of his close friends in the department when they think he’s there to be taken advantage of. Avery has his eyes set on a brighter future within the department; but soon finds it isn’t as easy as just going to your superior officer to get there.
Both stories come together to form one narrative thread that extends out in the final third of the film that raises the tension (if you weren’t tense from the drama already) to blistering point.
Despite a weighty running time, it is evenly spread, and always engaging. Gosling makes that first initial impression that is hard to shake as he’s an actor that just exudes emotion with the stillness of his face. Cooper has the more complex drama to deal with as his story is altogether bigger, but there is also sure footed support from the likes of Eva Mendes, the always dependable Ray Liotta and a terrific turn from Bruce Greenwood. But the ace up the sleeve here could well be young actor Dane Dehaan (Chronicle) who is fast proving to be the new hot young thing as far as character actors go. Let’s see what the Hollywood system makes of him when he appears in The Amazing Spider-man 2 next year as the Harry Osborne.
Steven Hurst