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The Place Beyond the Pines (R16, 149mins) Directed by Derek Cianfrance ****
Despite Ryan Gosling’s prominence on the poster and other associated promotional materials, this lo-fi twisting, turning drama actually features more of another Hollywood heart-throb – Bradley Cooper.
The bouffanted A Star is Born and Nightmare Alley star plays ambitious, young cop Avery Cross, whose dogged determination sees him hot on the trail of Gosling’s motorcycle stuntman-turned-bank-robber Handsome Luke.
The tattooed carnie has taken to crime, after discovering that he fathered a son with his old girlfriend, waitress Romina (Eva Mendes). She has a new man looking after her, but Luke is determined to provide for his new family.
Scheming with his old mate Robin (Ben Mendelsohn), he hatches what initially seems like a foolproof operation. “Not since Hall and Oates has there been such a team,” Robin enthuses.
But after initial success, the third time proves to definitely not be the charm.
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To say any more would be to ruin what is a cleverly constructed, intimate epic. Like his previous collaboration with Gosling, 2010’s Blue Valentine, writer-director Derek Cianfrance tackles weighty themes, while creating a terrific sense of place and space and frisson between protagonists.
While that emphasis away from narrative drive frustrated many Valentine viewers (and just how miserable everyone seemed to be), here the sometimes, slow, deliberate pacing and naturalistic look is tempered by some genuine surprises and visceral shocks.
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Like their previous collaboration, Blue Valentine, Ryan Gosling and writer-director Derek Cianfrance tackle weighty themes, while creating a terrific sense of place and space and frisson between protagonists.
This won’t be a comfortable watch for many, with violence a central theme of the tale. But it’s a compelling one, particularly thanks to Cianfrance’s visual flourishes. These include lots of hand-held camerawork, extended tracking shots and some stunning point-of-view shots that really place the viewer right in the middle of the story.
With Gosling on Drive form and Cooper in Silver Linings mode, you know you’re going to be entertained. But what is unexpected is the film’s heart and strongest performance is actually Mendes.
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Bradley Copper plays ambitious, young cop Avery Cross in The Place Beyond the Pines.
Cianfrance’s sometimes cold and detached style isn’t for everyone, but, even a decade on from its original release, this remains a dramatically meaty surprise.
The Place Beyond the Pines will begin streaming on TVNZ+ at midday on March 7.
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