THE PLACE BEYOND THE PINES - Review

The Place Beyond the Pines

2 hours, 20 minutes
Crime Drama, 2013
Written by Derek Cianfrance, Ben Coccio, and Darius Marder
Directed by Derek Cianfrance

Starring
Ryan Gosling
Bradley Cooper
Eva Mendes
Ben Mendelsohn
Ray Liotta
Rose Byrne
Dane DeHaan
Emory Cohen



"If you ride like lighting, you're gonna crash like thunder."

I had really high hopes for The Place Beyond the Pines. Saying that doesn't mean that I dislike it, but I wish I could like it more. It really is a beautiful film. It's compelling and very well acted, but some of the story elements feel very forced. There were a few moments in the film where I kept thinking "it's gonna cut to black right... now? Nope. Nevermind." While the movie does have a graceful exit, it missed an opportunity to do it earlier in a more appropriate place. It does run a bit long, and the fact that beats feel forced doesn't help much.
The story is told in three parts: the story of Luke, played by Gosling, as he discovers that he has a son. He wants to be there for his boy and does what he can, robbing banks to provide for him. The second act of the story is about a police officer played by Bradley Cooper who deals with corruption in his unit. The third act is about the sons of Cooper and Gosling, and how they cope with the events of the first and second acts as teenagers.
This is where the film feels forced: in it's message. It's all about the relationship between fathers and sons, and while the third act really hits this home, the previous acts don't really set it up well enough to feel like there's a ton of weight. It's pacing is just a little bit off. Despite the entertaining 3rd act, it just feels very forced, and I can't help but to overlook that. The first act is definitely the strongest part of the movie, which is unfortunate because nothing else in the film quite matches it.
So basically, aside from very strong performances (particularly form Gosling and his buddy played by Mendelsohn, who just seems to be sticking to shady gangster-like roles as of late) and a solid narrative, the themes in the movie just seem too forced and messy to ignore. Other than that gripe, it's worth checking out.

9/10