Review: The Place Beyond the Pines

by Joe Moss
★★★★

In much the same vein as director Derek Cianfrance’s oscar nominated film Blue Valentine (2010), also starring Ryan Gosling, The Place Beyond the Pines is raw, captivating and visceral. Truly an emotional thrill ride from its gradual beginning sequence to the closing scene in upstate New York. “If you ride like lightning you’re going to crash like thunder.” Mechanic Robin (Ben Mendelsohn) deftly delivered line provides the central dogma of the film. Pines is a film that explore the inner psyche—specifically man’s ability to deal with moral decisions in the face of adversity and the ethics of how to rectify a downward spiral of problems established through careless decision making. The film plays out through segmented interplay of three vignettes spanning a seventeen year period wherein the two top billed characters Luke (Ryan Gosling) and Avery Cross (Bradley Cooper) share a collective five minutes on screen together. But this works beautifully!

Luke is the epitome of a carnie motocross dareveil—handsome, carefree, and broke. He reunites with an old flame, Romina (Eva Mendes) from a previous trip with the carnival through Schenectady, NY, only to discover a surprise that changes his life. Avery Cross (Bradley Cooper), a rookie cop/Ivy League educated lawyer with a serious need to impress his father—retired State Supreme Court Justice Al Cross (Harris Yulin). Avery inadvertently kills a man in the line of duty, but is shot himself in the process. Quickly categorized as a wounded hero, Avery begins his path of self discovery whilst dealing with his own knowledge of the situation and issues in the police department. The third act introduces us to two young men in high school AJ (Emory Cohen) the charismatic, popular spoiled rich-kid; and Jack (Dane DeHaan), the enigmatic, loner, stoner. They quickly reach an understanding with one another that ultimately allows the film to come full-circle and close all wounds previously opened throughout the screenplay.

The original score written by Mike Patton (Black Hawk Down, Young Adult, and Body of Lies) provided the correct counterbalance for the cinematographic flow of the film—almost at times acting as the pulse of the film through repetitive resonant chords. The screenplay by Cianfrance and his cowritters (Ben Coccio and Darius Marder), was chaotic, surreal, and yet soothing—in other words, it mimicked life to perfection. Because of this powerful exploration of life in a small town, the film will not be something of mass appeal; but for those who can appreciate character and plot development at its finest—go see this film. I will definitely keep it on my Oscar watch list for 2014.