A motorcycle stunt rider turns to robbing banks as a way to provide for his lover and their newborn child, a decision that puts him on a collision course with an ambitious rookie cop navigating a department ruled by a corrupt detective.
Cooper, Mendes and an underused Liotta all perform well, but there’s a fatal flaw in Cianfrance’s execution; capturing how the sins of the fathers are passed onto the sons may make for great drama on paper, but The Place Beyond The Pines never manages to find an emotional pay-off from its grand design.
As a masculine tale of fathers and sons, it might not interest the ladies, but The Place Beyond The Pines is a mesmerising crime drama which evolves into something different. It’s Drive, Cop Land, Goodfellas, Psycho and Heat all rolled up into one unique, riveting package.
It certainly feels like a film where all the care and effort has been poured into the first few chapters. And it doesn’t help that Avery’s son turns out to be the most punchable little horror since The Magnificent Ambersons’ George.
Beautifully shot, moodily scored and bold of technique, Cianfrance’s picture buckles under its own ambition.
In trying to tell an enormous amount of story it can spread itself too thin and leave some strands feeling unfinished, but when it’s at its best, this is beautiful and bold filmmaking.
Its accomplishments and ambitions far outweigh its failings.
The Place Beyond the Pines is flawed, but the flaws are due to Cianfrance's sheer energy and passion. Strangely, the comparison that comes to my mind is Terrence Malick – another real film-maker who makes his own mistakes in his own style in the course of making his own fiercely individual, stunning movies. I am coming to love Derek Cianfrance's work in the same way.
This is great American cinema of the type we keep worrying we’ve already lost. Behind its puppy-dog eyes burns a fierce intelligence.
Not all of it compels, but the parts that do are fantastic.
The film loses some of its impact in the second half when the coincidences and connections threaten to become overwhelming but this is still a stylish drama that finds hope at the end of a dark tunnel.
Over-ambitious U.S. indie.
If the visceral thrill of the early motorbikes-and-guns scenes wears off, it is a price worth paying for the fact that the story goes into areas and thinks of the consequences that other crime films just don't.
Beautifully shot with commanding lead performances and stonking cameos from Ray Liotta and Ben Mendelsohn. But Pines just doesn't quite add up to the sum of its parts.
The film has nerve, it has verve, it has surprises, and for something like 100 minutes, it'll more than do.
The Place Beyond the Pines is an engrossing, extremely well designed and acted film...however, the film is overlong, not as sharply pointed as it might be, and at its best when viewed realistically rather than analysed and assessed in terms of its lofty ambitions.
Exclusive Derek Cianfrance interview: The Place Beyond the Pines
Blue Valentine duo Ryan Gosling and Derek Cianfrance reunited for The Place Beyond the Pines
General release. Check local listings for show times.
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