The Place Beyond the Pines
Review by Anthony Morris
When motorcycle stunt rider Luke (Ryan Gosling) discovers he has a child from a one-night stand from the last time his circus came to town, he man’s up and does the right thing.
He quits the circus, and tells his baby mama (Eva Mendes) he’s going to take care of his child and be a part of his life. She’s a bit more cautious, as she currently has a partner who they live with, so Luke figures the way to win her over is by being a provider.
And, according to his boss (Ben Mendlesohn) at the shoddy garage where he works, that means robbing banks. That kind of lifestyle works fine until it doesn’t, at which point we’re introduced to beat cop Avery Cross (Bradley Cooper), who soon discovers that his local force is riddled with corruption and decides to turn that to his advantage.
That’s far from the end of the story, as Luke and Avery’s lives find yet another way to inter-twine over the years, but the surprise as to how things unfold is a lot of the pleasure to be hand in this crime drama that’s both a series of stand-alone tales and a look at how lives unfold over the years.
It’s a little rough around the edges – the scale of both Luke and Avery’s crime dramas seems slightly unlikely for a small town – but a string of great performances (all variations on “sullen but deeply feeling men willing to do what they think needs to be done”) more than makes up for any loose storytelling.
This is a must for crime fans and drama fans; as for fans of Gosling, well, a little goes a long way here.
3.5 out of 5
The Place Beyond The Pines
Australian release: 9th May, 2013
Cast: Ryan Gosling, Bradley Cooper, Eva Mendes, Ray Liotta, Rose Byrne, Mahershala Ali, Dane DeHaan, Emory Cohen, Ben Mendelsohn
Director: Derek Cianfrance
