The place beyond the Pines

I've been waiting and waiting for this movie.

1. It has Ryan Gosling and I love just about every character he's ever made.
2. The movie is from the director (Derek Cianfrance the writer of this movie too.) of BLUE VALENTINE.

Naturally, the film rolls out like the loud motorcycle that Gosling's Luke drives. We get the gest of him and Eva Mendes' Romina...who knows exactly what he is and what to expect of him. After all, he's in a carnie. And she's found her a man played by the wonderful and beautiful Mahershala Ali as Kofi who has been there for her and her baby.

This movie definitely shows Luke's vulnerable side. He does want to be a part of his son's life, but without much guidance he makes the mistake of thinking he can make some quick cash as a bank robber. He does it with the help of Robin (Ben Mendelsohn), who is the most normal cool headed guy around.

Naturally, he doesn't have the finesse that Luke makes a name for himself in the newspapers. Only, Luke's not reading the newspapers, he's just trying to give his son something to get through life.

However, this movie evolves. Or it drifts into someone else's life. When things go wrong for Luke, it switches gear into Bradley Cooper's Avery. I don't want to spoil anything here. But his mishap reshapes his world, and how he feels about his own son and wife, along with his life. This definitely has to be one of Cooper's best roles. His part was very intense, and I have to say he is definitely an actor I want to see in more roles like this one.

Unfortunately, this is a very long story. Time passes and we come to the story of Luke and Romina's son Jason played by the amazing Dane DeHaan who meets Avery's son AJ (Emery Cohen) at school. I must say Emery Cohen just might be this year's new IT boy. He definitely stole the scenes with his New York accent. AJ is a rich kid who might as well be polluted with drugs. Naturally, a certain suspense wears on with the last part of the movie.

Honestly, I felt this was a film about fatherhood than anything else. And the best father of all might have been the one who didn't get any recognition, who was played by Mahershala Ali. This film has some amazing performances from so many actors, but just be ready for a long movie to endure.

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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