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, Ben Coccio,

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 Twitter

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

19 April 2013 (USA)

Also Known As:

Babadan Ogula

Filming Locations:

Plymouth Avenue, Schenectady, New York, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$15,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

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

Gross:

$16,544,995 (USA) (29 April 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

Derek Cianfrance cited TV shows such as Cops and America's Wildest Police Chases as inspiration for the bulk of the film's chase scenes.

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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

Robin: If you ride like lightning, you're going to crash like thunder.

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Connections

References The Dark Knight (2008)
In the locker room scene, AJ says to Jason "Why so serious?"

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Soundtracks

"Fratres"
Written by Arvo Pärt
Performed by Eric V. Hachikian
Courtesy of soundcat productions

User Reviews

Quite possibly the most ambitious film of the year - Cianfrance has secured a position as one of the best

Derek Cianfrance well known for his riveting film Blue Valentine (2010) is back at it again giving us a breathtaking look at the lasting consequences of the decisions we make. The Place Beyond The Pines is an enthralling crime thriller that stretches over generations - a beautifully crafted familial drama. Quite possibly the most ambitious film of the year The Place Beyond The Pines is about Luke (Gosling), a stunt motorcycle rider performing at a low-grade carnival. While the tattooed Gosling's carnival goes through New York he runs into an old fling, Romina (Eva Mendes) and is shocked to discover in his absence she gave birth to his child. Luke growing up without a father feels obligated to provide for his son Jason so he decides to move nearby and it doesn't take long before Luke needs more money and resorts to robbing a bank with his crooked boss (Ben Mendelsohn). As you can imagine things don't exactly go to plan once Avery (Bradley Cooper), a young and upcoming police officer, is assigned to the case. To much surprise of the audience, shortly after being introduced to Avery Cianfrance switches its narrative focus to him and his family; a very risky move however the execution of the technique is flawless. The story - now centered on Avery – follows him trying to expose corruption within the department and making a name for himself. With his strong desire to essentially become his father Avery becomes detached from his wife and son. The final act of the film takes place 15 years later and focuses on two high school students Jason (Dane DeHaan) and AJ (Emory Cohen) – Luke and Avery's kids. Unfortunately the narrative switch isn't as charming as the first one and the film loses energy it spent so long building. It's not a movie breaking issue because it is just such a pleasure to watch DeHaan (Lawless, Chronicle) on screen. Last year he became my favorite young actor and clearly he's not slowing down. Gosling once again a mysterious, talented young man who resorts to robbing people for money (Does Drive ring a bell?) does as well as usual in his performance but nothing out of the ordinary for him. He'll play this same character until people get sick of it. Cooper is the shining star of the film though. There is no person that is going to leave this film not wondering where this actor was hiding for his early career. The Place Beyond The Pines is a real game changer for him. The rest of the supporting cast stand their ground making the film extremely enjoyable. Derek's ability to bring such realism to his characters is seamlessly met with a more mature visual style this time around making The Place Beyond The Pines his finest achievement yet. The films stunning cinematography was brought to us by Sean Bobbitt (Shame), his work is just fascinating to watch; every shot handled with such precision. The film is brilliant, breathtaking and above all innovative. With this intensely layered drama of fathers and sons Cianfrance has secured a position as one of the best. This really is storytelling at its finest. 8.5/10