The Place Beyond the Pines (2012)

A motorcycle stunt rider turns to robbing banks as a way to provide for his lover and their newborn child, a decision that puts him on a collision course with an ambitious rookie cop navigating a department ruled by a corrupt detective.

Director:

Derek Cianfrance

Writers:

Derek Cianfrance (screenplay), Ben Coccio (screenplay),

Stars:

Ryan Gosling, Eva Mendes, Anthony Pizza

1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Ryan Gosling	...	Luke
Eva Mendes	...	Romina
Anthony Pizza	...	Baby Jason (as Anthony Angelo Pizza, Jr.)
Craig Van Hook	...	Jack
Mahershala Ali	...	Kofi
Olga Merediz	...	Malena
Rev. John Facci	...	Priest
Ben Mendelsohn	...	Robin
Tula	...	Robin's Dog
Penny	...	Robin's Dog
Cynthia Pelletier-Sullivan	...	Teller #1 - Bank #1
MacKenzie Trainor	...	Teller #2 - Bank #1
Nicole Califano	...	Teller #3 - Bank #1
Shannon Plumb	...	Lady in Ice Cream Shop
Tracey Agustin	...	Teller #1 - Bank #2

Storyline

A mysterious and mythical motorcycle racer, Luke, (Ryan Gosling) drives out of a traveling carnival globe of death and whizzes through the backstreets of Schenectady, New York, desperately trying to connect with a former lover, Romina, (Eva Mendes) who recently and secretly gave birth to the stunt rider's son. In an attempt to provide for his new family, Luke quits the carnival life and commits a series of bank robberies aided by his superior riding ability. The stakes rise as Luke is put on a collision course with an ambitious police officer, Avery Cross, (Bradley Cooper) looking to quickly move up the ranks in a police department riddled with corruption. The sweeping drama unfolds over fifteen years as the sins of the past haunt the present days lives of two high school boys wrestling with the legacy they've inherited. The only refuge is found in the place beyond the pines.

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Plot Keywords:

motorcycle | bank robbery | motorcycle stunt | schenectady new york | death | 

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Genres:

Crime | Drama

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for language throughout, some violence, teen drug and alcohol use, and a sexual reference

Details

Official Sites:

Official Facebook Official site

Country:

USA

Language:

English Spanish

Release Date:

19 April 2013 (USA)

Also Known As:

Babadan Ogula

Filming Locations:

Altamont, New York, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$15,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

$279,457 (USA) (29 March 2013)

Gross:

$21,330,184 (USA) (14 June 2013)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Focus Features, Sidney Kimmel Entertainment, Electric City Entertainment

Technical Specs

Runtime:

140 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital Datasat

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Mary Elizabeth Winstead and Ginnifer Goodwin auditioned for the role of Jennifer.

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Goofs

The beginning of the film takes place in the 1990s. The General Electric sign is shown with red and green lights. During this time, however, these colors were used only for Christmas time. It is clearly summer time when the film takes place, therefore the lights should have been white. However, in recent years, the lights remain red and green all year round.

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Quotes

Luke: I'm not asking for an advance, I'm quitting.
Jack: You can't quit.
Luke: I just did.

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Connections

References The Dark Knight (2008)

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Soundtracks

"Fratres (for Violin, Strings and Percussion)"
Written by Arvo Pärt
Performed by I Fiamminghi
Courtesy of Concord Music Group, Inc.

User Reviews

A story of trashy criminals and dirty cops evolving into one about fathers and sons and life

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.