THE PLACE BEYOND THE PINES – The Review

THE PLACE BEYOND THE PINES is a crime drama, a political thriller and a study of fathers and sons in America. Like a great novel, THE PLACE BEYOND THE PINES is full of big thoughts, sharp plot turns, vibrant characters, and great talk. The film’s structure delivers three interrelated stories in a clear, linear way. It begins with the mysterious motorcycle racer Luke (Ryan Gosling), who drives out of a traveling carnival sphere of death and tours the streets of Schenectady, New York, trying to connect with former flame Romina, (Eva Mendes) who recently gave birth to their son without his knowledge. Though Romina has taken up with Kofi (Mahershala Ali), Luke decides he needs to provide for his newly discovered family.  He gives up the carny life to become a mechanic but soon is drawn into committing a string of bank robberies aided by his superior riding ability. The stakes rise as Luke is put on a collision course with ambitious police officer, Avery Cross (Bradley Cooper) looking to quickly move up the ranks in a police department riddled with corruption. To reveal further plot points would spoil many of the surprises found in THE PLACE BEYOND THE PINES. There is a death and the story takes an unexpected  turn before jumping ahead 15 years where we are introduced to a pair of messed-up teenage boys who bear  scars – the result of the sins of their fathers.

THE PLACE BEYOND THE PINES is an ambitious film about the impact one chance encounter can have on future generations. Because of the2 ½ hour length of the film, writer/director Derek Cianfrance (who directed Gosling in BLUE VALENTINE) has time and space to work with, and we do get a sense of the characters growing older, learning about themselves, dealing with hardship. But after a losing a central character at about the one-hour mark, the film slowly starts to lose steam. Gosling turns in yet another effortless performance. He doesn’t speak much and mumbles when he does but the guy can coast on presence, charisma, and smoldering menace like nobody’s business.  Turning his intent eyes into beads and lowering his voice to woo his girl, or calmly spar with his affable crime partner (Ben Mendelsohn), the actor persuasively creates his own kind of villain, rich in contradiction and detail. Luke is an efficient and smart thief but he cannot discipline himself during his bank robberies, leading to some very intense heist sequences. Cooper’s fine as the calculating Avery, but the film belongs to Gosling whose presence is missed in the film’s second half. It is a treat to be enveloped in a good film like THE PLACE BEYOND THE PINES, a flawed but satisfying experience that’s highly recommended.

 4 1/2 of 5 Stars

THE PLACE BEYOND THE PINES opens Friday, April 12th in St. Louis at  Landmark’s Tivoli Theater and Landmark’s Plaza Frontenac Theater