Review of The Place Beyond the Pines (2013) by Adrian Z — 04 May 2014

When stunt motorcyclist (Gosling) learns he has a baby son with former girlfriend (Mendes), he begins to rob banks, but soon his life, and his son's (DeHaan, eventually), become entwined with cop's (Cooper).

Complex plot that spans three rather distinct segments, and more than 15 years, threatens to become meandering before, each time it does, an arresting dramatic scene brings it back on course - albeit, somewhat.

Director Cianfrance tries to cover a little too much dramatic and thematic ground through each segment, within a 2 hour 2 minute span, which still proves a little meager for his intentions. First, there is some decent bank robbery action, capped by a thrilling chase scene; then an effective sense of paranoia from police corruption Cooper encounters after the film's first major turning point; and finally an exploration of teen angst before a shattering revelation.

However, the issue is that no segment, except perhaps the first, achieves completely what it sets out to do. Cooper's face-off with corrupt partners ends too rapidly. The final segment benefits from Dane DeHaan's strong performance, but it relies on suspending disbelief for one major coincidence, and the film's final emotional pay-off, in a key scene in which Cooper comes off weakly, is disappointing.