Review of The Place Beyond the Pines (2013) by Gilson S — 06 Oct 2013

Interesting film indeed. Very glad I watched knowing nothing about it beforehand. The Place Beyond the Pines is a 3-part film spanning 15 years with plenty of thought provoking scenes and unexpected twists.

The first part is by FAR the best, seeing the scuzzy carnie Ryan Gosling as he tries to establish a relationship with his new found son and baby mama. He's genuine as ever, like all his films and the best part about this movie.

The bank robbery scenes are engaging and directed excellent. The 2nd part introduces us the Bradley Cooper as the good cop whose life is turned upside down when his 1-second meeting with Gosling turns bad.

Then the third act comes 15 years later where the focus goes to the 2-main characters' sons. Didn't care for either of them. I hated the third act as well as the eventual ending that seemed too abrupt and uninspired.

Films are remembered for their endings and this one simply felt lazy. I'm sure I'm not the only one who expected more. However, I realize this is a film about making decisions in the face of adversity.

And it's about father/son relationships and how the past can affect those decisions. Altogether I feel this was a great film that ended poorly, which you don't see often.