The Place Beyond the Pines

The Place Beyond the Pines

Starring Ryan Gosling, Eva Mendes, Bradley Cooper, Dane DeHaan

Directed by Derek Cianfrance

Synopsis:
Luke (Ryan Gosling) is a motorcycle stunt rider who travels the country.  After a show in his hometown, he visits his old flame Romina (Eva Mendes), and finds out that he has a son.  He quits the circuit and vows to be a good father to his son, unlike his own father was.

Without money, Luke resorts to robbing banks in order to provide for his son, and it spirals out of control until he eventually comes face-to-face with Officer Avery (Bradley Cooper).

Avery wants to flush out the corruption in Schenectady, but he's just an ordinary beat cop, until he takes down Luke and is proclaimed a hero.  He exposes the corruption and begins to rise among the ranks.

Fifteen years later, Luke's son Jason (Dane DeHaan), and Avery's son AJ (Emory Cohen), are teenagers at the same school, and become fast friends, without knowing the history their parents share.  However, as the truth is revealed, it threatens their friendship and the lives of everyone involved.

Review:
"The Place Beyond the Pines" is an interesting sort of film, where it seems that there's three different movies taking place in one.  It separates itself into three different sections centering on three different actors but all of them are intertwined and the consequences of previous actions come into play.

In the first part, we're introduced to Luke, who was masterfully played by an often underestimated Ryan Gosling.  Luke wants to be a somebody to his young son, but without the income to support him, he fears he'll be a failure.  Not having much of an education, he resorts to robbing banks to provide for his family, wherein the question of does the ends justify the means comes into play.  Is he a modern day Robin Hood or just a hoodlum, or both? 

When he runs into the law, the movie shifts focus to Avery, who was brilliantly performed by a pre-"Silver Linings" and "American Hustle" star Bradley Cooper, who shows his amazing talent in this film.  Avery begins as a young, ambitious man who wants to move up the ranks of the police force and expose the corruption he sees in it, even to the detriment of his own family, as he spends time away from his wife and distances himself from his young son.  Again, this poses an interesting question as to whether or not Avery was a good person - was he trying to expose the corruption for the betterment of society, or for his own ambitions?

The final act takes place fifteen years later, as the sins of the fathers fall on their sons.  As troubled youths, Jason and AJ form an unlikely friendship, without knowing their fathers' connected history.  However, as Jason uncovers the truth, the friendship is put to the test as he begins to seek vengeance.  The final question this movie poses is - are the consequences of our actions our own, or does it affect those around us?

Summary:
"The Place Beyond the Pines" is an exemplary film that poses interesting questions and delivers a highly cerebral story.

My Rating: A