Cruce de caminos (The Place Beyond the Pines)

Greetings again from the darkness. With an extended tracking shot to open the film, we follow Ryan Gosling, a motorcycle stunt rider, from his trailer through the carnival grounds and right into the metal sphere with his co-riders. It's an exhilarating start to the film and introduces Luke (Gosling) as a heavily tatted star attraction on the carnival circuit.

This is director Derek Cianfrance's follow-up to his 2010 critically acclaimed Blue Valentine. While that film painfully presented the misery of a bad marriage, this latest shows multi-generational fallout from poor decisions and even worse father-son relationships. Cianfrance has quite an eye for well-intentioned, but inadequate personality types. This latest is presented in triptych format ... three distinct story divisions. The first segment is mesmerizing and follows Luke's attempt to "do right" by his newly discovered infant son - the result of last year's carnival trip to this same town and a tryst with Romina, a local gal played by Eva Mendes.

Gosling is especially effective (yet again) as he falls in with local mechanic played by a terrific Ben Mendelsohn (frightening in Animal Kingdom). The two hatch a scheme to capitalize on Luke's bike riding skills by robbing banks. These "jobs" allow us to see the other side of Luke, who seems sincere in his desire to provide for the child and win back Romina. Things go badly when Luke crosses paths with rookie street cop Avery Cross (played by Bradley Cooper). Watching Gosling's contradictory personalities is quite amazing ... he flips from quietly charming to cold-blooded brutal bank robber in the blink of an eye.

The story then shifts to follow Avery and his strained relations with his wife (Rose Byrne), their infant son, and Avery's former state Supreme Court judge father (Harris Yulin). A sub-plot brings in police department corruption led by ... who else? ... Ray Liotta. Mr. Liotta still possesses the ability to scare the crap out of his fellow actors and anyone watching the movie. This corruption and the idealistic and ambitious nature of Avery aren't a very pleasant mixture, but it sets the stage for the final act.

Flashing forward 15 years, brings us to a fairly predictable situation that still proves interesting. The previous stories focused on the failed relationships of Luke and his father, Luke and his mis-fired attempt at being a dad, and the awkwardness of Avery and his father. Now we see the resulting mess that are the two now teenage boys. The sons are played by Emory Cohen and Dane DeHaan (who was memorable as Cricket in Lawless). DeHaan especially shines as the Gosling/Mendes prodigy.

Sean Bobbitt is the film's Director of Photography and he deserves special mention for his work with Cianfrance in bringing a different and intimate look to the characters, setting and story. Also, Mike Patton's unusual score fits perfectly and keeps the viewer on track. This is a very uncomfortable movie to watch, but those who enjoy tough, artsy films will be rewarded. www.MovieReviewsFromTheDark.wordpress.com

In an attempt to give away as little as possible about this film, obviously so that you can enjoy all of the phases as I was able to do, I would like to simply highlight my opinion about this movie. It was a great film and was very entertaining. I'd recommend you take a chance and go see this film. Expect some theatrical diversity and in the end it all comes back full circle.

I have nothing negative to say. The acting was mature and accurate. Each character was playing a role that suited their own set of talents superbly.

Try not to read too many reviews and just go and see this movie. You will not be disappointed.

"The Place Beyond the Pines" is the second feature film with the director/actor pair of Derek Cianfrance and Ryan Gosling. The two together are a two man wrecking force who show resemblance of a DiCaprio/Scorsese dynamic. In this film, they tackle an ambitious, emotional and completely original tale about fathers and sons, sins of the father, generational consequences, and how one moment can send shockwaves lasting a lifetime.

The movie is broken into three acts, each as compelling and unpredictable as the one before it. The film centers around three main characters, somehow, all connected to each other. It stars Ryan Gosling, Bradley Cooper and Dane DeHann as the leads. Ryan Gosling channels the brooding reticence of his unnamed badass from "Drive" and the cool swagger of Tyler Durden from "Fight Club." Bradley Cooper displays a lot of versatility as he plays a nervy rookie cop. Some other actors who shine here are Ben Mendelsohn, Mahershala Ali, Bruce Greenwood, and Ray Liotta (with his signature menacing intensity). The actors really own their roles and allow for the viewers to connect with the portrayal of their sympathetic characters. The only problem here is that the newcomer actors (Dane DeHaan and Emory Cohen) don't carry their act as effectively and emotionally as Ryan Gosling and Bradley Cooper did.

The story here is ambitious and succeeds in telling a new and refreshing tale that filmgoers have not seen or experienced on this level of deep sophistication in ages. The film transcends movie tropes and plots as it takes a realistic, gritty, and life-like spin on traditional storytelling. "Pines" is more than just a movie. It is an exploration and examination of the human experience, spirit, and conscience.

To match the film's sensational storytelling and acting is the phenomenal directing, cinematography, and music. Everything about the filmmaking craft helps enhance the emotional impact, and real life gravity of the film. It isn't just some action crowd pleaser or CGI-infested cash grab. Nor is it some black and white 'good guys vs bad guys' rehashed plot Hollywood has been spewing out for the last quarter-century. It's an emotional, heart- wrenching, and enriching drama in which you see every character as a human person capable of love, forgiveness, and sinful actions. It is a powerhouse of craftsmanship. Director Derek Cianfrance expertly weaves together a complex and emotionally draining epic that puts an emphasis on how one moment/decision can affect generations to come. He also concocts immersive third-person POV tracking shots which greatly add to the occasional thrills of the film. The cinematography and music create a hurricane of emotions to further augment the viewing experience.

It is a travesty that "The Place Beyond the Pines" has not gotten the attention it deserves. It's mandatory viewing for any film buff or life enthusiast. Because what this movie is is life on screen.

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.

The Place Beyond the Pines starts out with motorcycle stunt rider Luke (Ryan Gosling) who starts robbing banks in order to provide for his baby. A son he belatedly discovers he has because he broke up with his girlfriend Romina, (Eva Mendes) who is now living with another man.

Luke's plans to be a good father does not end well as his luck runs out. Avery (Bradley Cooper) is a novice cop who goes after Luke and later gets in some bother with corrupt cops in his department. The ambitious Avery uses this to get into the District Attorney's office.

The third act of the movie is set 15 years later as the children of these two men cross paths. Both children are delinquents in some ways.

The film goes for an epic scope with interweaving stories. There is a great opening with Gosling as he goes out to ride the wall of death.

The film loses its focus when it concentrates on their kids because the story is not that great. However director Derek Cianfrance has made an intriguing film. It is a shame that he runs out of his narrative drive by the end.