Drive had Ryan Gosling, acclaimed indie director Nicholas Winding Refn, it-girl (I still don’t really know what that means, but it seems accurate) Carey Mulligan, and vroomy-vroom vroom getaway cars. Place Beyond the Pines has Baby Goose, acclaimed indie derektor Derek Cianfrance (Blue Valentine), it-girl Eva Mendes (Goose’s real-life special lady!), and reer-reer dirtbikes. Once again, Baby Goose plays a stunt driver turned getaway driver. Only this time, Bradley Cooper is there for a handsome-off. THE RUGGED VULNERABILITY, IT’S TOO MUCH! (*sirens, alarm bells*)
Official synopsis:
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.
Good lord that is a wordy synopsis. Wait, this cop, is he corrupt? Oh yes, he’s menacingly corrupt! He growls when I bribe him, GRRRR! Anyway, this looks eerily similar to Drive, but without the awkward, too-long stares and almost total lack of dialog. Which is too bad, I was really hoping for a scene where Baby Goose and Brad Cooper exchange sizzling looks until one of them gets a boner. No shame in that, by the way, they both have beautiful eyes.