Review of The Place Beyond the Pines (2013) by Travis H — 08 Oct 2013

Although he's been around since 1998's festival favorite Brother Ted, Derek Cianfrance grabbed our attention with his searing, devastating look at a failing marriage in Blue Valentine. The film catapulted him to stardom, earned Michelle Williams an Oscar nomination, and was another notch in star Ryan Gosling's belt. The test for Cianfrance after such a monumental success was proving that it wasn't just a blip on the radar. Many filmmakers hit the jackpot once then fail to ever come close to matching it. More often than not they slip up in an attempt to be more ambitious.

Cianfrance was faced with sticking with the same deeply personal, focused approach of Blue Valentine, or aim for something more and possibly fail. Choosing to shoot for the stars, Cianfrance's follow-up The Place Beyond the Pines is a beautifully constructed masterpiece. A thematically rich, enduring tale of familial legacy and broken dreams, told in a fashion that is intimate yet epic in scope. In triptych form the story unfolds in unexpected ways, telling three separate stories with ideas and themes that echo throughout, each captivating in their own way.

Covered from head-to-toe in tattoos, Ryan Gosling makes for a powerful presence as Luke, a motorcycle stunt biker whose sullen face suggests a past of pain and resentment. He's not unlike the laconic, brooding character Gosling played in Drive. The film opens in a gorgeous, technically brilliant tracking shot as we follow Luke's journey down a dirty carnival hallway, hopping on his bike and joined by two other riders, proceeds to tempt fate in the giant metal globe of death. The trio blazing through the orb at top speed without a hint of fear, this single moment encapsulates Luke's entire existence. He's a man with nothing to lose so why not risk everything for some cash and a smattering of applause?

Everything changes when he's given something to really fight for. After running into Romina (Eva Mendes), a small-town girl and a casual hook up, he discovers she gave birth to his son. Ending his life on the road and staying there in Schenectady, NY, he decides to do right by her and the child. It's not done reluctantly or due to some sense of fatherly responsibility. It's almost as if Luke is reaching for the family he never had growing up. Taking a low-paying gig as a mechanic, he decides it's not enough. Encouraged by his slimy buddy (Ben Mendelsohn) to put his stunt racing skills to good use, Luke begins a brief but memorable criminal career robbing banks.

It's a bad decision, and the effects of it will be felt for a long time, engulfing everyone in Luke's life personally and tangentially. Eventually, his crime forces him into the orbit of Avery Cross (Bradley Cooper), a rookie cop with much greater aspirations. On the verge of fatherhood himself, Avery sees himself as the stoic defender of justice, especially as he wades through a police force that is racked with corruption. But his ideals constantly clash against his ambitions, clouding his judgment and setting him on a dangerous course.

Luke and Avery's stories comprise the first two "chapters", while the third reverberates with the impact of their decisions. It's tough to go much further without venturing into spoiler territory, as there are some avenues the story takes that are unpredictable and shocking. This is the sort of film that demands to be walked into knowing as little information as possible.

Cianfrance explores many fully-formed ideas that play out in consistently compelling fashion. Splitting the film in such a way was a risky gamble, and practically invites the viewer to single out which installment is the weakest. Each story relies so much on the one that precedes it that if something doesn't quite connect, it's immediately noticeable. This is what plagues the final act, which has a completely different feel than the others and lacks the same depth of characterization. Legacy, destiny, the cyclical nature of violence, and economic inequality form a constant motif, and it's a credit to Cianfrance's talents that he's able to say so much without it ever coming off as pretentious.

Shot in melancholic, muted tones, The Place Beyond the Pines paints a gorgeous portrait of rural America, surrounded by expansive views of the countryside that hint at a deep history. While all of the performances are strong, this is a film largely about fathers and sons, so the female cast mostly gets short shrift. Ryan Gosling is nothing less than captivating here, arguably giving the finest performance of his already brilliant career. His presence is enormous, so much so that he's still felt even when other characters are the focus. Bradley Cooper continues his hot streak by giving a wonderfully layered turn that surpasses the heights he achieved with Silver Linings Playbook. Eva Mendes is solid as well, along with Ray Liotta, Rose Byrne, and Mendelsohn. They're overshadowed by Dane DeHaan and Emory Cohen, who show they can measure up on the same level as Gosling and Cooper.

With The Place Beyond the Pines, Derek Cianfrance has established himself as one of today's great American filmmakers, willing to take risks and daring to have something worthwhile to say.