Cruce de caminos (The Place Beyond the Pines)

If I have to be honest here, I cried my eyes out like a baby during most of the film. For some reason, this drama just hit a very sensitive spot for me. - I am almost certain that it was Ryan Gosling's outstanding performance that hit me deep in my gamut of emotions, resulting in various intense feelings of compassion and sympathy that just seemed to keep appearing throughout the film - he represents such a heartwarming yet melancholic character who you can't help but to sympathize with. In the most beautifully portrayed way, we undergo af journey starting from Luke Glantons' (Ryan Gosling) unfortunate situation to smoothly transitioning into Avery Cross' (Bradley Cooper) life whilst issues such as fraud within police departments, abandonment, poverty and social heritage are illuminated in the thrill of it all - and the crazy mixture of different perspectives and issues all makes sense. More I can't say, or else I will reveal the whole plot. The only thing left to say is, if you don't know what you're going to expect from this movie, you're going in for a storytelling told untraditionally, composed perfectly ending with a somewhat circular structure. - Trust me, this only makes sense in the end. To finish off with a sentence: This movie represents a classic example of your unethical actions coming back to taunt you.

What he have here is a story about fathers and their sons. In fact, three separate stories - each one leads into the next. A lesser movie would have just told one story, but "The Place Beyond the Pines" is larger in scope and needs all three parts to tell the complete story. A life is not just about your life but those you affect and those you leave behind for years to come.

The first father is Luke (Ryan Gosling) who didn't know he had a son until a girl whose name he happens to remember shows up with a one year- old son. Prior to that moment he was a daredevil with no ambitions, no money, and no care for his life. Now he's a father. A father with no money nor job. Wearing a dirty, inside-out, torn t-shirt and tattoos covering his arms, neck and face, he is the epitome of trash. But you know, the quiet, reserved, soulful, good-looking trash. And now that he's a father, he's going to care for his son however he can. He hooks up with his partner in crime, literally - Robin (Ben Mendelsohn). Together they are like a Hall & Oates version of Bonnie and Clyde.

In Schenectady, New York - the place beyond the pines - the only thing dirtier than the trashy criminals are the cops themselves. And then the second father is introduced. The character of Avery (Bradley Cooper) is carefully crafted into what should be the greatest human being on planet Earth. And he's a cop. And he's a father. And he's a son to a father who might have been but probably wasn't the greatest human being on planet Earth.

The film went for editing and filming styles to echo the characters' situations and actions. You can guess what that would look like when Gosling is racing through the forest on his motorcycle. But as we approach the more expansive ending, there are some beautiful shots of the trees lining Schenectady's countryside roads. That works particularly well with Cooper giving a remarkable performance of Avery constantly coming to grips with his life.

The final act tells a story very different from, but completely connected to, the two that came before it. It could have been tightened up a bit, but "The Place Beyond the Pines" isn't telling a quick story. It's telling the story of multiple lives, of death, family, love, honour and obedience. Employing overall themes of revenge, ambition, and what it means to be a father, and a son. I say it succeeds in its larger scope, even if it doesn't just tell a story the way one would want it to.

The trailer to this film is rather misleading. It's the equivalent of advertising the whole of Disneyland with just clips of Space Mountain again and again. There's a lot more going on here than Ryan Gosling robbing banks and being a general badass in The Place Beyond The Pines. There are in fact at least three main characters all with their own story. And while the Ryan Gosling section is, a bit like Space Mountain at Disney, the best bit of the package he is only one part of a much bigger picture.

A motor bike stunt rider finds out he has a son so packs in his day job and takes the logical step of robbing banks to provide for him. The story deals with the family life of the man as well as a rookie cop who exposes his police department to be corrupt.

I found the film very absorbing from the start with Ryan Gosling's character development on fast forward so at least 3 massive life events all happen in the first 20 minutes of the film. There's not a lot of action scenes but when there are they're very tense and exciting.

The family life aspect is quite heartwarming and you do believe that his character does love his son and wants to provide for him. There are fantastic believable acting performances all round here with Ryan Gosling and later on Bradley Cooper really showcasing their acting talents. It's engaging and I really cared what happened to both of their characters.

The main problem with the film is it's length and not knowing when to stop. The first part of the film is constantly engaging and would be a nine out of ten if the film stayed like that the whole way through. When the focus shifts from characters however it really doesn't feel as exciting and almost feels like the start of totally different movie. A movie that isn't bad but is nowhere near as good as the one you've just seen.

Every story told is linked obviously but sometimes it feels a tad loose. There is a dramatic time shift when the film reaches the 100 minute mark and what follows really seems to drag. It never really felt like it was going anywhere. It was by no means boring however, it just lost a bit of steam towards the end. The Place Beyond The Pines is worth a watch but just be prepared to have you're socks blown off and then have them planted firmly back on your feet as the film continues.

This is one of Gosling's older films that is just raw and beautiful. Two stories colliding into one. The pacing can be slow but it'll still keep you engaged all the way.

I had no idea what to expect from this, but I'd seen and liked Ryan Gosling in DRIVE so I thought I'd give it a go. And the director has clearly been taking a few pointers from that film, because stylistically it's very similar: slow paced, scenes shot the same way, the same type of music. Hell, even Gosling is playing a similar character, a guy who best communicates through violent action.

The first hour of this film is fantastic: gripping, edge-of-the-seat stuff, with another excellent performance from the star. Then things go in a different direction for the second hour, with the less-interesting Bradley Cooper becoming the focus of the story. This part's still pretty good, if more familiar. It all rounds out again with a third act which ups the suspense to a satisfying climax.

THE PLACE BEYOND THE PINES is an actor's film, and indeed there are some great performances here: Gosling, an almost unrecognisable Eva Mendes, Ben Mendelsohn, and Dane DeHaan all give very good performances, and it's a treat to see Harris Yulin (SCARFACE) on the screen again. But the technical values and the mature script easily match the calibre of the acting, making this an all-round winner. It's not perfect - some sections are too slow, and some characters just don't hold the interest like others - but fans of DRIVE should like it nonetheless.