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The Place Beyond the Pines

Starring: Ryan Gosling, Bradley Cooper, and Eva Mendes
Directed by: Derek Cianfrance
Screenplay by: Derek Cianfrance and Ben Coccio

    What is the place beyond the pines?
    Motorcycle stunt driver Luke Glanton (Ryan Gosling) comes to Schenectady, New York only once a year.  One particular year, he finds that one of his previous lovers, Romina (Eva Mendes), now has a son, his son.  So, he stays in town to try to provide both for her and the boy, but has very little money.  He resorts to bank robbing in order to get the money he needs to provide for them.  One of his robberies goes wrong and he runs into the cops, one of whom is Avery Cross (Bradley Cooper), who is looking to climb the ranks within a corrupt police department.  Their run in with each other will have an incredibly powerful impact on both of them, and their families, for years to come.
     Normally in movies, when there are multiple story lines and multiple main characters, a director will often cut between all of the stories to show that they all happen at the same time.  This is not the case in The Place Beyond the Pines.  Derek Cianfrance takes us through three distinct stories one at a time.  When one story is finished, the next one starts.  This makes the film easy to follow and far more enjoyable because we can connect with the characters in a better way, and we do become quite attached to them as the film progresses.  And since this film takes place at different times, it makes more sense to tell the story in this way.
     The casting is excellent and all the actors are truly terrific.  Ryan Gosling is wonderful in his role as he often is, but this is Bradley Cooper's show.  If you saw Silver Linings Playbook a few months ago, where he co-stars with Jennifer Lawrence, you saw that Bradley Cooper was amazing in that role.  I think he is just as awesome in The Place Beyond the Pines as he is in Silver Linings Playbook.  Both of these actors bring an energy and life to their respective roles that they do best.
     This is an incredibly deep movie and may require more than one viewing in order to fully understand the whole picture.  There is a great deal of symbolism in the film that constantly shows up.
     It's too bad that this film is being released in April because it's a film that the Academy should pay attention to this year.  It's one of the best films that's been released so far this year and I fear it will be overlooked when it comes time for award season.  It does get pretty gloomy and depressing at times, so if you are looking for a movie that has a little more comic relief, this isn't the movie for you.  But it's absolutely worth watching.
     I give The Place Beyond the Pines an A-.

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