The Place Beyond The Pines Review: Fatherhood Drama Goes Nowhere

The Place Beyond The Pines is divided into three parts. The first, featuring a stunt motorcycle rider called Handsome Luke (Ryan Gosling), promises an interesting narrative about fatherhood.

Luke is eager to become a suitable father to an infant son that he didn’t know he had, but his best intentions get warped by his desperation to provide for his family. He resorts to robbery, and soon the cops catch up. Gosling’s character mirrors his previous role in Drive, but with a more melodramatic story.

The whole cast is great, even though Ray Liotta is underserved. Bradley Cooper is decent in a dramatic role.

The film quickly loses its way as the narrative shifts to Avery Cross (Bradley Cooper).

Avery’s subplot is unnecessary. The characters are mere pawns to move along a contrived plot. When another plot twist moves the film 15 years later to the next generation, only the women aged.

The third part comes in to glue all the pieces together but the movie has veered too far off from what it originally set out to do and fails to make a connection. The fate of the sons is predictable.

The film aims to explore fate and fatherhood, as well as show how the sins of the father are passed on to the son. The script is too preoccupied with making a grand statement that it has forgotten to bring its characters to life.

The Place Beyond The Pines is filled with good performances, great cinematography, and an apt musical score. The concept is commendable. But instead of a three-part epic what you get are disparate vignettes connected by coincidences.