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, Bradley Cooper, Eva Mendes

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Ryan Gosling	...	Luke
Craig Van Hook	...	Jack
Eva Mendes	...	Romina
Olga Merediz	...	Malena
Anthony Pizza	...	Baby Jason (as Anthony Angelo Pizza, Jr.)
Mahershala Ali	...	Kofi
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 | Corruption | 

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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:

20 March 2013 (France)

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:

$279,457 (USA) (29 March 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

Greta Gerwig was originally cast as Jennifer, but was forced to drop out due to scheduling conflicts.

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Quotes

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

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Connections

Featured in Maltin on Movies: Trance (2013)
Movie reviewed in this episode.

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Soundtracks

"Get On My Hype"
Written by Marvin Watson
Performed by Messy Marv
Courtesy of Empire Distribution, Inc.
By arrangement with Fine Gold Music

User Reviews

An extraordinary movie that pulls the rug from under you

You might call Derek Cianfrance's tremendous new movie "A Place Beyond the Pines" a blue-collar epic or a tragedy in three acts; it's certainly a drama in three acts. It runs for two hours and twenty minutes and it covers a period of about 17 years and there are really only about four major characters. To talk at all about the films storyline would be to spoil what is really an extraordinary narrative where even the coincidences of the third act seem to me to have resonance of great drama and it is magnificently played by its four principal actors.

Ryan Gosling, continuing to cement his reputation as the finest young actor of his generation, is Luke, an outlaw anti-hero worthy to stand beside any played by Dean or Newman. Bradley Cooper, so much more now that the light comedian of The Hangover movies, is Avery, the idealistic young rookie cop who finds the consequences of a single act of violence leads him down paths he previously may only have dreamed of and relative newcomers Dane DeHaan and Emory Cohen are sons in desperate need of a father's love and guidance.

This is bold and innovative film-making from Cianfrance with a strong emphasis on plot development. It plays out like a great page-turner of a novel but is in fact an original screenplay. After "Blue Valentine" this marks Cianfrance out as a major big league player.