Rated
R (Language Throughout, Some Violence, Teen Drug and Alcohol Use, and a Sexual Reference)
Running
Time: 2 Hours & 20 Minutes
Cast-
Ryan
Gosling-Luke Glanton
Bradley
Cooper-Avery Cross
Eva
Mendes-Romina
Rose
Byrne-Jennifer Cross
Ray
Liotta-Officer Deluca
Dane
DeHaan-Jason
Emory
Cohen-A.J. Cross
Harris
Yulin-Al Cross
Ben
Mendelsohn-Robin Van Der Zee
Bruce
Greenwood-Bill Killcullen
Olga
Merediz-Malena
Robert
Clohessy-Chief Weirzbowski
 |
| Ryan Gosling delivers another excellent performance in Derek Cianfrance's latest film, "The Place Beyond the Pines." |
Note: Screened on Wednesday, March 27, 2013 at Landmark Sunshine Cinema.
Real
life is fraught with difficult decisions and as much as we try to do the 'right
thing,' the choices that present themselves are rarely so black-and-white. Not
only do the choices we make define who we are but the consequences of those
choices can reverberate into the next generation. A sweeping
drama of fathers, sons, and the legacies we leave behind, Derek Cianfrance's
"The Place Beyond the Pines" is his much-anticipated follow-up to
2010's "Blue Valentine," which also starred Ryan Gosling. Cianfrance
is one of my favorite directors and what makes him so special is that he's
unafraid to put you through the emotional wringer, no matter how painful it is.
Described by ComingSoon's Joshua Starnes as 'the filmic equivalent of cutting
yourself on the leg over and over with a razor blade,' "Blue
Valentine" is certainly not for the faint of heart with its brutal depiction
of a marriage on the rocks. Although bolstered by a moody score, atmospheric visuals,
and a trio of excellent performances, "The Place Beyond the Pines"
doesn't quite reach the raw emotional power of Cianfrance's previous work as
the film bites off more than it can chew with its tripartite sins of the father
tale but the moment-to-moment drama remains compelling, even if the ending
feels anticlimactic.
Luke Glanton (Ryan Gosling) is a motorcycle stunt rider
with a traveling carnival who returns to Schenectady, New York upon learning
that a woman he had a tryst with, Romina (Eva Mendes), has given birth to his
child while he was out of town. Wanting to be a part of Romina's life even
though she's already moved on to boyfriend Kofi (Mahershala Ali), Luke
struggles to make ends meet and initially takes a job working as a mechanic
with Robin Van Der Zee (Ben Mendelsohn). However, his meager earnings are not enough
to support his infant son, prompting Robin, a former petty thief, to suggest robbing
banks using Luke's unique skill set. Luke soon grows addicted to the fast
money, putting him in the crosshairs of rookie police officer Avery Cross
(Bradley Cooper). Their encounter leads to Avery being declared a hero to the
community but instead of opening doors for him, he's demoted to desk duty. Avery
begins to drift apart from his wife Jennifer (Rose Byrne) and baby boy A.J.
while dealing with a group of crooked cops led by a veteran named Deluca (Ray
Liotta). Fifteen years later, Avery is no longer a police officer and is now
running for attorney general. Unfortunately, his relationship with his
now-teenage son (Emory Cohen) has soured in the intervening years. At school,
A.J. befriends a troubled classmate named Jason (Dane DeHaan). As the two falls
into downward spiral of drugs and alcohol, Jason starts wondering about the
whereabouts of his absentee father, setting him up on a collision course with
Avery.
"The Place Beyond the Pines" (the title is a loose translation
of the Iroquois word 'Schenectady') is definitely one of the most ambitious
dramas I've seen, particularly with the way its narrative is structured. For
"Blue Valentine," Cianfrance began the film in the present day with
its two main characters already married for six years. He then charts the
bitter dissolution of their relationship by intercutting with flashbacks of the
couple falling madly in love. This use of parallelism exists in
"Pines" as well but the story (written by Cianfrance, Ben Coccio, and
Darius Marder) is told in a linear fashion, with three distinct sections. It's
like getting three films for the price of one and as such, it feels longer than
it's already significant 140-minute running time. By far the strongest segment
is the first one, which focuses on Ryan Gosling's Luke Glanton. Opening with a
shot of his bare, tattooed torso, Cianfrance's camera follows the character
from behind as he slowly walks through the fairgrounds of a traveling circus
and into a tent where he's greeted by a rapturous crowd. Joined by two other
motorcycle stunt men, Luke rides his bike inside a large metal sphere. Round
and round he goes; the steel cage a symbol of our inability to escape from our
past and that sooner or later, it'll catch up to us. When he learns that his
brief affair with a diner waitress has resulted in a child, Luke decides to
stick around and not repeat his father's mistakes ('My father wasn't around,
and look what happened to me'). His limited skills soon force him to play bank
robber in order to provide for his son and these scenes crackle with energy as
he races away from each scene of the crime. A high-speed chase between Luke and
rookie cop Avery Cross, which is amazingly shot in one unbroken take from the
front window of a police cruiser, closes out the first segment. The fates of
these two men become intertwined in one pivotal moment where Avery comes out as
a 'hero,' but at the expense of a child losing his father. I love the way
Cianfrance juxtaposes Luke's fall with Avery's rise in social standing. There's
karma at work here in that Luke's judgment becomes clouded by his naïve dreams
of a future with Romina. It comes as no surprise that his career as a bank
robber would meet a tragic end, even if his goals are noble. Similarly, Avery
dreams of 'making a difference' but his morals are put to the test when he
comes face-to-face with corruption among his fellow officers. Although he tries
to do the 'right thing' (his naïveté mirroring Luke's), Avery is instead
reprimanded by his superiors and comes to realize that the only way he can do
any good is to be in a position of authority. His sense of righteousness turns
into arrogant ambition, costing him his wife and his son. The choices these two
men make have far-reaching consequences and when the film jumps forward ahead
by fifteen years, it becomes a question of whether our fates are preordained or
can we break free from past sins. The third segment is by far the weakest. Not
only is the time jump rather jarring but it relies on coincidence a little too
much. Avery's son A.J. just happens to sit at the same table with Jason during
lunch. The ending also feels anticlimactic. It's partially saved during a very
cathartic scene when Romina finds a picture of her and Luke holding their
infant son while eating ice cream. However, Avery and A.J.'s storyline never
feels like it's properly resolved. The plot in "Pines" may meander
and stumble as it crosses the finish line but it's because Cianfrance is
reaching for greatness. His unusual way of telling the story and how he shoots
the film is proof of his talents as a director. Schenectady's natural beauty
shines through in every frame, with Sean Bobbitt's cinematography invoking a
sense of foreboding doom in his visuals. Underneath the city's beauty are
characters fighting a futile battle against their fates. Mike Patton's eerie
score is just as good, the choir-like melody he uses building to an emotionally
powerful crescendo.
The impeccable cast delivers superb performances,
especially Ryan Gosling. Although presented as a bad boy who's not above
resorting to thuggish behavior, Gosling instills Luke with a tender heart and
its hard not to sympathize with him as every choice he makes is for his son.
Bradley Cooper is just as compelling, even though he can't quite match up to
Gosling. Much of what Avery grapples with is internalized and Cooper captures
this very well, his face etched with guilt and even bitterness whenever he looks
at his own son. Eva Mendes displays a sense of resignation and weariness as
Luke's former flame Romina while Ben Mendelsohn, Rose Byrne, Bruce Greenwood,
and Harris Yulin make the most of their limited roles. Dane DeHaan continues to
excel playing troubled youths. Less successful is Emory Cohen, who comes across
as a poor caricature of a teenage bully. Ray Liotta's casting is also problematic
since his appearance makes the corruption subplot in the second segment feel
contrived given how typecast he is in these roles. Nevertheless, the cast
Cianfrance has assembled mostly bring their A-game and it is their performances
that drive the film forward.
Premiering at last year's Toronto International
Film Festival, "The Place Beyond the Pines" has been in limited
release since March 29, 2013. Reviews have been largely positive with 75% on
Rotten Tomatoes. Common complaints from critics revolved around a weak third
chapter and a plot that tried to explore too many themes in too little time.
Audience reception at the advance screening last Wednesday was somewhat muted
but the film is definitely striking a cord with the art-house crowd given its
$69,864 per-theater average during its weekend debut. Whether that will
translate into mainstream success when it expands this week remains to be seen.
"The Place Beyond the Pines" is certainly an ambitious drama and
while the film has its fair share of problems, the complex characters and
themes that it explores is well worth the price of admission alone. This is the
type of bold storytelling that Hollywood should support and I'm glad that we
have a risk-taking director like Derek Cianfrance refusing to pigeon-hole himself.
Final
Rating: 4 out of 5
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