Review: The Place Beyond the Pines

The Place Beyond the Pines is a sprawling crime epic that follows prodigal circus motorcycle stuntman Luke Glanton (Ryan Gosling), who turns to bank robbery with his friend Robin (Ben Mendelsohn) to support the child which he accidentally conceived with local resident Romina (Eva Mendes). This nefarious entrepreneurial plan draws rookie cop Avery Cross (Bradley Cooper) into the narrative, who thereafter assumes center stage. Corrupt senior policeman Deluca (Ray Liotta) causes him some trouble, as does Cross' son and Glanton's son in the '15-years-later' segment.

The Place Beyond the Pines is essentially an exploration of the various impacts that criminality causes. The effects on children, families, and even communities are examined through Glanton's robberies. So, not only are the immediate repercussions detailed, but the characters are followed over almost two decades. The result is a pretty interesting psychological and social examination, and some thoughtful questions are posed. Rarely could I predict how events would pan out, a strong positive for a film of this nature. The set-up is not new: Latin cinema has often used a single cataclysmic event to weave several biographies into one film recently. But is the crime in this picture drawing the characters together or away from each other? Does the robbery permanently link the people or do they simply collide momentarily?

The time span is interesting. It’s almost an epic, like the Godfather films, spanning generations- Biblical, the theologians among the audience might think. But I found it too long for cinema. Not that the actual length was taxing, but to be thorough, some elements should have been cut, which would have had scant effect on the plot. Perhaps a book would be a better medium of artistic expression for this tale. Indeed, I assumed that it had been adapted from a novel.

The acting is superb. Ryan Gosling, unsurprisingly, delivers a devastating performance. His presence impacts the film more than anyone else, his memory lingering after his departure from the story. It stands as testament to one of today's finest actors that he can 'star' in a film whilst only physically appearing in the initial act. Some level accusations that he plays the same character in most of his films, that he plays Ryan Gosling (YouTube profile 'Zappafaux': I'm looking at your miserable comment as I type). But giving a series of superb performances, all slightly different and with a genuine emotional contract with the audience, whilst retaining the star appeal of the individual is surely the sign of a consummate Hollywood leading man. This is essentially a continuation of an acting style in the vein of Bogart, Caine, Nicholson or De Niro: the patrons pay to watch them, but Oscar-deserving portrayals prevail. 

Bradley Cooper is very good, proving (along with his recent part in Silver Linings Playbook) that he's more than just a Hangover/ Wedding Crashers actor. Eva Mendes uses her obvious performance acumen to render scenes that are in theory cheesy and unconvincing actually moving and realistic. Ray Liotta is absolutely terrifying: if he had been picked for Joe Pesci’s role in Goodfellas instead of his own it surely would have looked like this. I'd be surprised if he wasn't a genuine nutter in real life. And I think that the film would have been improved by a greater Liotta-to-time ratio.

The Place Beyond the Pines has been deceptively advertised: a Drive style fast-paced crime blockbuster this ain't. The action scenes are pulsating, white-knuckle adventures, but the audience watch an observant and intelligent socio-psychological examination, with an impeccable array of performances, albeit one that leaves them perhaps perplexed.

With all that money, Ryan might finally be able to remove some of those biro-drawn skin besmirchments