The Place Beyond the Pines

"The Place Beyond the Pines" is a true epic crime saga with whispers of great 70's cinema including "The Godfather Part II". Director Derek Cianfrance avoids the sophomore slump and Ryan Gosling and Bradley Cooper give great lead performances in what is a film that will definitely be on my year end top 10 list.

Stars Gosling and Cooper have a great advantage among their peers in Hollywood, both have the matinee idol looks to sell tickets as well as being two of the better actors of their generation. Gosling is slowly becoming that actor that no matter what he is in you want to see it, almost like Daniel Day Lewis-almost, he has to stop picking paycheck projects like "Gangster Squad" to pad his resume. "TPBTP" is Goslings second collaboration with director Cianfrance, the first was with "Blue Valentine" the extraordinarily underrated tragic love story, Gosling and Cianfrance work wonders with each other hinting at a partnership in the vein of Scorsese and De Niro. Cooper in his first film since his most impressive turn in last years Oscar winning "Silver Lining Playbook" is nearly as effective as Gosling in a less showier role, between his last two roles and comedic turns in "The Hangover" and "Wet Hot American Summer" is shadowing Tom Hanks in that he can play almost any kind of role.

"The Place Beyond the Pines" is structured in two parts. The first half centers around Gosling's character, a motorcycle carnie with the stage name "Handsome Luke". While at a tour stop Gosling runs into an ex played by Eva Mendes, he soon finds out that her infant son is in fact his-he abruptly quits the carnival circuit and stays put in the small upper New York state town to be closer to his child. Through various events Luke decides to start robbing banks so he can provide better for his son. Bradley Cooper plays an ambitious cop who through another series of events that become apparent in part 2 becomes linked with Gosling's character for the rest of their lives. Delving anymore into the plot would give away major spoilers.

Director Cianfrance's style and pacing is not made for everyone, some will find this movie slow-and in parts, especially in the second half it is. Pacing is a tricky thing in film, characters and story need to be developed especially in complex layered thrillers such as "Pines" is. He is definitely a young director on the rise and we look forward to see what he brings to the future tables. The supporting cast includes a brief appearance by "AOM" favorite Ray Liotta and Australian actor Ben Mendelsohn who was highlighted in this blog late last year in the Brad Pitt starrer "Killing Me Softly", he is equally memorable here and is fast becoming this decades Steve Buscemi.

As with other movies reviewed here, "TPBTP" is not for everyone and will likely get lost once Tony Stark and Clark Kent take their spots on the summer throne as well as be forgotten during awards season due to its questionable release in March. It is drama to almost the exact definition of the word with slight mixes of 70's cinema and Shakespearean themes "TPBTP" is one not to be missed.