The Place Beyond the Pines will be included in Part Three of my “40 Potential 2014 Oscar Contenders” preview, posting on Wednesday, but that doesn’t mean we can’t take another look at Derek Cianfrance‘s new film right now as Focus just sent over a new clip from the film featuring Bradley “I Don’t Wanna Win an Oscar” Cooper and Eva Mendes.
I saw Place Beyond the Pines in Toronto last year (read the review here) and found it well made, but incredibly melancholy to the point it wallows in its own pit of despair. This isn’t to say it doesn’t have a lot to boast about, but is just fair warning and something that prevented me from going any higher than a “B”.
I’ve included the new clip below along with the official synopsis after that. Focus will release the film on March 29.
The daring new movie from the director of Blue Valentine, The Place Beyond the Pines is a sweeping emotional drama powerfully exploring the unbreakable bond between fathers and sons.
Luke (Academy Award nominee Ryan Gosling) is in constant motion, a high-wire motorcycle stunt performer who travels from town to town with the carnival. Passing through Schenectady in upstate New York, he tries to reconnect with a former lover, Romina (Eva Mendes), only to learn that she has in his absence given birth to their son Jason. Luke resolves to forsake life on the road and to provide for his newfound family, taking a job as car mechanic with Robin (Ben Mendelsohn). Robin soon discovers Luke’s special talents, and proposes to partner with him in a string of spectacular bank robberies. But it is only a matter of time before Luke will run up against the law — which comes in the form of Avery Cross (Bradley Cooper).
Avery is an ambitious rookie cop navigating a local police department ruled by the menacingly corrupt detective Deluca (Ray Liotta). When Avery, just beginning to balance his profession and his family life with wife Jennifer (Rose Byrne) and their infant son AJ, confronts Luke, the full consequences will reverberate into the next generation. It is then that the two sons, Jason (Dane DeHaan) and AJ (Emory Cohen), must face their fateful, shared legacy.
