Film Review: The place beyond the pines

The Place Beyond the Pines

      I really don't know what to make of this film... Its a strange one. Divided into three sections where it explores Ryan Goslings character Luke being a motorcycle stunt rider, and discovering he had a baby with a woman he had a fling with the last time his fair came to town but she never told him. Romina played by Eva Mendes has moved on and found a new man to help raise her baby. It basically shows how he wants to provide a good life for the two of them and the unknown arrival so he turns to robbing banks after it was suggested by a friend. Obviously the story goes belly up and Bradley coopers character  Avery swoops in to chase down Luke, where he corners him in a house. The whole scenes uneasy, Lukes ready to give up gives his goodbyes as Avery rushes in, clearly new to the force as he looks more scared than Luke who is on the phone to Romina when BAM! 

     It moves onto Averys life now where he's this false hero, and he can barely live with himself and it goes through him struggling to the a good cop in a bad force. Has his own child whom is the same age as Lukes son Jason, called AJ (Avery Junior) but he can't love his own son properly anymore.

-This section drags on, just highlighting that he isn't that bad a guy but personally I'm quite weird with death and things and  I just held a dislike to him completely. 

    Fifthteen years pass and the story moves on to Jason. Lukes 17 year old son - Played by Dane DeHaan. DeHaan has been in other movies as quite strange roles, such as 'Chronicle' and 'Lawless' so I knew from the off that something would be up and I was right... Thought fitting his whole life is a mystery, being a mixed white latino child, and having a black father he was just never allowed to know his real background and he blew up inside.

Its an odd one, I really liked it...I've given a fair bit away but obviously its just over 2 hours long, theres a lot more to it! I liked it, I did. It just didn't go how I expected it to go. I tried to avoid the overviews as I'd caught the end of the Radio One film review and Rianna was just gushing over Gosling saying how she thought it was good so I thought I'll see how it surprises me, and it did. Just not in a good way - Make sense? No. 

The way it blended the stories was different, as for a moment I thought it was over and just a really short film, which would have been poop.  I was expecting some badass robber on the run for the whole movie but it cuts that short, rather bluntly too. The acting wasn't outstanding I mean, you can't really say it was good or bad, as the roles didn't require mass emotions, the film swayed emotions but in the events instead of the people. All of the protagonists did things that pushed your feelings for them to either end of the spectrum due to violent acts but overall the acting was samey. Nothing like Zac Efron in the first HSM thats for sure! 

Directed by Derek Cianfrance, I've not seen any of his other work, not that he's done much yet but he did well with this one. Probably his biggest work yet. He also co-wrote the film with two others. Wouldn't go out of my way to see his other work mind...

In a way I feel disheartened by this movie. I wish I had written this straight after seeing it but unfortunately I've left it a few days and its passed me by. However, Its put me at a loss, I feel it was a sad story with a sad end. There's no closure. The film ended with a silent cinema where I reckon everyone was just a bit lost for words.

Story 7/10

Acting 7/10

Nothing much else to comment on.. The stunts where pretty cool though, bikes frighten me but it was awesome watching Gosling, or rather his double, fly about.

I do recommend, obviously I doesn't appear good from above ^ but I enjoyed it, I am just a baby when it comes to violence!