Review of The Place Beyond the Pines (2013) by Chad D — 13 Jan 2014

A lot going on in this movie. Cianfrance wrote and directed Blue Valentine, so he's capable of greatness. Maybe he tried too hard in this.

It's essentially three stories in one. There is some Serpico in there, and some Mystic River. The movie you get at the end is a vastly different movie than you get at the start.

Even as a creep, Gosling is good and you cheer for him. Mendes' best moments came in the opening minutes of the film when she was walking around without a bra. Cooper shines. It's hard to upstage Gosling, but Cooper may have done it. The end of the first part features Cooper as a street cop. He's hardly recognizable and very effective. The middle of the film focuses on Cooper as he moves on from the past and asserts himself professionally. The final part is really about the two sons. DeHaan is effective but pretty low energy. The other kid is one of the less desirable characters I've seen in a while. Don't know the kid to say if he's always a douchebag or if he was really acting.

At over two hours, the movie is a commitment. Many online are raving about the thought-provoking story. I thought there were some good bits of acting and directing...the chase scenes were pretty great and it's a pretty movie. But as many online complain, I'm not sure where the movie took me. Was it fathers and sons? What does that mean? I thought it was a decent movie, but if I have one complaint, it's that I do feel a little empty 140 minutes later.