The Place Beyond the Pines

UK Release Date: 12 April 2013
Certification: 15
Director: Derek Cianfrance
Cast: Mahershala Ali, Rose Byrne, Emory Cohen, Bradley Cooper, Dane DeHaan, Ryan Gosling, Ray Liotta, Eva Mendes, Ben Mendelsohn

Rating: 49%

Review: 

The Place Beyond the Pines is a mess. The film attempts to tell three interconnecting stories during its 140 minute runtime - a crime thriller, an unravelling of police corruption and a political campaign. This could've worked if each section of the film was compelling but that isn't the case. The first hour of this film is superb in my opinion. The themes bleed through, the action is well choreographed and scenes feel impactful. Afterwards, the rest of the film is just dull, boring and a major disappointment. The characters aren't particularly interesting and I struggled to remain engaged with the plot. 

Ryan Gosling is great in the supposed lead role of Luke Glanton. The struggles of his personal life feel relatable despite his clear lack of empathy. The naivety of the character was painful to watch on screen but to a point where I still cared for his actions. On top of that the costume design was perfect. At times it may have felt like the director only cast Ryan Gosling based on the success of Drive, which came out the year prior. Continuing with strong performances, Dane DeHaan is incredible as Luke's son. The Amazing Spider-Man 2 isn't a good film but he shines in the role of Green Goblin and it's no different here. The turmoil was clear to see through his facial expressions and I thought the range on display was thoroughly impressive. No one else really stood out to me with entirely run of mill displays barring Emory Cohen. He was simply awful. In an earlier role within his filmography, he evidently overacted with what he was given to work with.  

In fairness of the film, it is visually stunning. Sean Bobbit's cinematography here is outstanding. The way a shot is framed or lighted is perfectly chosen to create a unique atmosphere especially in the first hour of the film. In latter stages, certain shots are used as poetic callbacks to earlier moments and I feel I would've been able to enjoy the beauty of The Place Beyond the Pines even more had I appreciated the third act of the film. The main theme, '29 - The Snow Angel', is a phenomenal piece of music. The piano gives the score an other-worldy-like feel.

From a technical standpoint the film was great. Unfortunately, I found it dull and just wish I'd got a stretched out version of the first act rather than The Place Beyond the Pines.