Review of The Place Beyond the Pines (2013) by Ryan L — 07 May 2016

The Place Beyond the Pines stars Ryan Gosling, Bradley Cooper, Eva Mendes, Ray Liotta, Ben Mendelssohn, and Dane Dehaan and is written and directed by Derek Cianfrance. I refuse to give major plot details away but I will say it has to do with bank robberies, father and son relationships, doing the right thing, and corruption. and I kinda loved this movie. it's a slow burn for sure, in the style of Cianfrance, but it is never boring. the acting by Gosling and company is perfect. every note is in tune and every mark is hit in the bullseye. flawless performances around. the writing is also very good as many things are learned about characters in clever and nontraditional ways. but the directing is really masterful. very very good camera work and some of it is unlike anything I had ever seen before. Where this movie falters is in the way it is structured. although it is unique and wholly original, which I do appreciate and admire, it feels slightly pretentious and full of itself in a small portion during the middle of the film. but once the story begins to pick back up it becomes fantastic once again. never predictable and always engaging, The Place Beyond the Pines is a fantastic film that really requires multiple viewings to grasp everything 100%. I cannot wait to see it again.

8.6/10.