Review of The Place Beyond the Pines (2013) by Nutterjr — 17 May 2013

I was eagerly awaiting for this film to come out with expectations that it would be special. And even though I was not disappointed by the end result, I am still a little annoyed as this could have been a masterpiece.

A poetic film defined by its velvety cinematography, a brilliant soundtrack and a beautifully woven layered storyline. The casting is absolutely superb (apart from Emory Cohen who is indifferent and in someways one of the few flaws of the otherwise perfect film) starting with the the mesmerizing Gosling, the on-form Cooper, the unexpectedly brilliant Mendes, the always harrowing Liotta, the consistently cool Mednelsohn and the up and coming intense DeHaan.

A Greek like tragedy appears to have 3 distinct acts, the first of which is heavenly, the second near spotless (a tad longer than it should have been) and a third only let down by the uneven performance of Cohen, which leaves you guessing whether it is a chance to find redemption or to restart the cycle all over again.