11 April 2013 | thejoshl

8 | 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