The Place Beyond The Pines (2013)
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Critics Consensus: Ambitious to a fault, The Place Beyond the Pines finds writer/director Derek Cianfrance reaching for -- and often grasping -- thorny themes of family, fatherhood, and fate.
Critics Consensus: Ambitious to a fault, The Place Beyond the Pines finds writer/director Derek Cianfrance reaching for -- and often grasping -- thorny themes of family, fatherhood, and fate.
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The highly anticipated new drama from director Derek Cianfrance ("Blue Valentine") powerfully explores the consequences of motorcycle rider Luke's (Academy Award nominee Ryan Gosling) fateful decision to commit a crime to support his child. The incident renders him targeted by policeman Avery (Golden Globe Award nominee Bradley Cooper), and the two men become locked on a tense collision course which will have a devastating impact on both of their families in the years following. (c) Focus- Rating:
- R (for language throughout, some violence, teen drug and alcohol use, and a sexual reference)
- Genre:
- Drama
- Directed By:
- Derek Cianfrance
- Written By:
- Derek Cianfrance , Ben Coccio , Darius Marder
- In Theaters:
- Mar 29, 2013 Limited
- On DVD:
- Jul 23, 2013
- US Box Office:
- $21.4M
Cast
-
Bradley Cooper
as Avery -
Ryan Gosling
as Luke -
Eva Mendes
as Romina -
Rose Byrne
as Jennifer -
Ray Liotta
as Deluca -
Ben Mendelsohn
as Robin
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– Collider.com
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Critic Reviews for The Place Beyond The Pines
All Critics (197) | Top Critics (43) | Fresh (158) | Rotten (39) | DVD (2)
What Cianfrance has written has scraps of surprise and a fine chase sequence, but it doesn't reach for the stars or the emotional cosmos -- or, at least, it doesn't know how to get there.
This naturalistic drama is ambitious to the point of being unwieldy... But once the story has advanced from one generation to the next and its thematic sweep has become apparent, these flaws seem much more tolerable.
"Pines" is hardy stuff, but it's at its toughest when Gosling's on screen.
The Place Beyond the Pines is hackneyed and dull: Not a single moment rings true.
This is a story about legacy, the sins of the father, the restlessness in our souls. It's powerful, it's bold, it hits you hard.
Cianfrance and his sterling cast keep it all together, vanquishing doubt and soap suds. There's a palpable sense of teamwork that brings out the best in all of these players.
Utterly compelling with a magic wand of storytelling from writer/director Derek Cianfrance along with co-writers Ben Coccio and Darius Marber, The Place Beyond the Pines is one of the more natural and stylistic endeavors of 2013.
The Place Beyond the Pines isn't a bad movie; it's three bad movies strung together by implausible logic.
A jumbled triptych that frequently meanders without finding its center.
A powerful, towering, yet intimately-told epic with excellent performances, a unique structure, and a story told with as much passion and angst as the myriad sons in the film.
By the third story, in a movie that is two hours and twenty minutes long, I had grown weary of the film's heavy-handedness
Cianfrance doesn't always connect, but when he does, watch out
The Place Beyond the Pines is a heart-wrenching epic poem that quashes the delusion that sons won't be affected by the actions of their fathers.
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.
The movie is constructed like a three-act saga, with only the third part failing to satisfy.
Terrifically captivating, whether delivering breathless action, knuckle-whitening suspense or moments of quiet intimacy.
Derek Cianfrance's The Place Beyond the Pines is an epic film that towers high above the rest as the very best film of 2013.
Writer-director Derek Cianfrance gained considerable attention for his 2010 drama Blue Valentine, and he has created an even finer movie with The Place Beyond the Pines.
"The Place Beyond the Pines" is a great example of daring storytelling and easily qualifies as one of the year's best.
Bites off a little more than it can chew in that respect, but it's still a deeply affecting drama with a powerful impact.
With The Place Beyond the Pines, Derek Cianfrance definitively establishes himself as an up-and-coming filmmaker with serious potential...
Stretches the scope of the film well beyond crime thriller.
An ambitious and thought-provoking film with a beautiful score and some of the biggest narrative twists of the year.
Motivation is the weak link here, with characters major and minor making choices that don't compute and/or serve mainly to advance the narrative down the next twist of track toward the tragedy looming on the horizon.
While it feels frustratingly disjointed, The Place Beyond The Pines also possesses moments of real power.
Audience Reviews for The Place Beyond The Pines
The scope of Cianfrance's follow-up to ''Blue Valentine'' may be larger than that film, but the director still has the ability to create engrossing characters and produce outstanding performances from his actors. Gosling gives one of his best performances and Cooper shows why his Oscar nomination for ''Silver Linings Playbook'' was no fluke. The cinematography, editing, music and direction are all pitch perfect but what makes Cianfrance's third feature so special is the themes it tackles and the way Cianfrance chooses to tackle them. There are many opportunities where the film could fall apart but Cianfrance structres the film in very assured fashion and never comes close to losing the audience. ''The Place Beyond the Pines'' is a surprising, sprawling and thought-provoking tale of old and young generations and what happens when certain people's morality is put to the test.
MoreSuper Reviewer
This was like three movies in one...very long, and pointless. The first 30 minutes of the movie has action, fine acting, a story line. After that point, it becomes a jumbled up mess. Some parts are excellent, but overall, it goes from exciting to boring. There were just too many lulls between meaningful scenes, in my opinion.
MoreSuper Reviewer
I rather enjoyed Blue Valentine, so when i heard that writer/director Derek Cianfrance and star Ryan Gosling were teaming up again, I got pretty excited, especially after I saw the trailer.
The result is another fine cinematic gem. What we get here is a sprawling, gritty epic drama about fathers, sons, actions, and consequences, and the impact a legacy can have.
The film is divided into three interconnected chapters. Part 1 following a carnival motorcycle daredevil who, upon hearing from an ex that he has a son, decides to turn his life around and acquire a decent amount of money to provide a decent livelihood. He goes about this by using his skill set to perform a series of daring robberies.
These robberies lead into Act II where the action is focused on a decorated but troubled cop who tries to do the right thing, which proves hard due to mounting pressure from his less than ethical colleagues.
The film's final third takes place about 15 years after the events of the first two-thirds, and follows two teenage boys whose growing friendship and individual lives are tested when they learn about their pasts and their fathers.
This is a really ambitious, powerful, and gripping drama. It's also really long, somewhat slow, and has a final act that, while decent, isn't nearly as good or interesting as the rest of it. It ends on a decent note though, so that makes up for it, but still.
On the technical side, this one is clearly an artsy/indie type of deal, but that's fine by me. The cinematography is gorgeous, there's some great lighting, mood, and atmosphere, and you know a film is trying for greatness when it opens up with a killer long take tracking shot. The music by famed musician Mike Patton perfectly fits the vibe of the material, and really highlights the fact that, while the film does have a solid plot and characters, it's primarily about the aforementioned mood, tone, and atmosphere.
As the daredevil, Ryan Gosling is awesome. It's another killer gritty notch in his belt, and if he decides to do more of this type of stuff than mainstream romance fare, that'd be just fine by me. Eva Mendes turns in a stellar performance as Gosling's lady, and it's good seeing her show the world that she does indeed have acting chops. It's just unfortunate that she doesn't display them often enough. Bradley Cooper is a joy to watch as the decent but haunted cop, and it's good to see him expand his horizons acting wise. Rose Byrne is unfortunately underused as Cooper's wife, but even then she lends some credibility to the role. Ray Liotta is fine, though nothing special as one of Cooper's superiors, and, as one of the two boys facing a troubled legacy, Dane DeHaan is pretty stinkin' good.
So yeah, for the most part, I really liked this. It has a few issues here and there (namely pacing and the potency of the final act), but in the end, this is a really good film, but not quite the masterpiece it gets hailed as.
Super Reviewer
The Place Beyond the Pines is a great exit from your typical Hollywood formula. Original and unexpected are two very different things and this film has ample of both in the best possible way. For me this is another example of a new wave of American cinema, I for one welcome its long overdue arrival. It's the ultimate anti-blockbuster/anti-franchise film when you think about it, instead of a story being stretched out in 3 films, you actually get 2 films for the price of one (with a Return of the Jedi conclusion plus the next three films). Derek Cianfrance is another new director to watch out for, he deserves all the praise he's received so far. He deserves praise for the story alone but the direction, editing, soundtrack, performances etc are all top notch too. I think when you've got a story this good people raise their game, let's hope other directors and producers take note. Hollywood needs a revolution and these types of films are leading the way.
MoreSuper Reviewer
The Place Beyond The Pines Quotes
- Luke:
- He's my son and I should be around him. I wasn't around my dad and look at the fuckin' way I turned out.
- Luke:
- Who's that guy?
- Malena:
- He's yours.
- Luke:
- Not since Hall and Oates has there been such a team.
- Luke:
- I'm still his father, I can give him stuff.
- Romina:
- You fucked up my son's life, therefore you fucked up my life!
- Al Cross:
- A limp goes a long way in politics.
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