The Place Beyond The Pines Movie Review (2012)
If Ryan Gosling is driving something, you know you’re in for a good film. I’m convinced that this is one of the main barometers for testing and, with The Place Beyond The Pines, the record holds.
I remember first hearing the rumors about Ryan Gosling and Eva Mendes being in a relationship. They had met on a film and had flown under the radar – but I recall hearing much more about their relationship than their movie. Which is a shame, because I really enjoyed it.
The Place Beyond The Pines is a story about a motorcycle stuntman who, while visiting a town he’d been in last year, discovers that he has fathered a baby. After deciding not to leave, he attempts to do right by his child and his child’s mother, even if it is through nonlegal means. And even if she is living with another man who is raising his kid. When the stuntman finds himself on the verge of getting caught by the police, a specific policeman enters his world and changes the trajectory of his and his family’s story.
This is a solid drama. There were times where I wasn’t sure where it was taking me, but the storytellers always knew, and it ended up full circle in ways that I could not have predicted.
Starring Ryan Gosling, Eva Mendes, Bradley Cooper, and Ray Liotta, this movie packs a punch. It is a ride – some of it fairly shocking – and all of these actors play characters that are consistent with what they’re known for (particularly Cooper and Liotta). But Gosling’s performance is heightened – nuanced – and reminds me of what might have happened to Noah in The Notebook if he’d taken an entirely different path.
Plus, for the record, the chemistry onscreen between Gosling and Mendes is palpable (particularly at the beginning of the film). It’s no wonder that they ended up together.
This film also opens remarkably. There is a 3-minute tracking shot of Ryan Gosling’s character walking from his trailer, though a carnival crowd, to his motorcycle, and, along with the other stuntmen, into a metal circus ball, where the men begin driving around the inside perimeter. It tells you that he owns this story and that his fingerprints, despite what may happen, are all over it.
The Place Beyond The Pines is told in two parts, neither of which I saw coming. It takes you deep into the weeds at times, but have faith that it will bring you back to where it means for you to land. It has a very interesting story to tell.
Runtime: 140 minutes
Motion Picture Rating: R
Languages Spoken In The Film: English and Spanish with English subtitles
Should You Watch It? Yes, it’s good
Did I Cry? Nope
My Rating: 3.5/5 Stars
Available: Free on Netflix, to rent on Prime Video, or may be available for free on other streaming platforms
