The film points out how tough it can be to escape from cycles of violence, how misguided attempts to speed ahead only set someone on the road to ruin, and how the compulsion to ride like the wind is inextricable from the fear that you’re getting nowhere.

| Jul 29, 2023

An uneven, evocative drama that generated strong opinions a decade ago but then disappeared from the public consciousness is deserving of another look.

| Original Score: 4/5 | May 15, 2023

Despite Ryan Gosling's prominence on the poster and other associated promotional materials, this lo-fi twisting, turning drama actually features more of another Hollywood heart-throb – Bradley Cooper.

| Original Score: 4/5 | Mar 9, 2023

Cianfrance never allows his viewers to escape the heartbreak of his film, consuming us with a resounding feeling of sorrow over these characters and the way their lives set paths for one another.

| Original Score: 3.5/4 | Sep 6, 2022

The camerawork is fantastic and the performances are solid across the board.

| Original Score: 3.5/5 | Aug 24, 2022

In the quietly decaying tragic-Americana setting of this fine film, the story is one of far-reaching repercussions, and how the loss of the father's virtue lands upon the son.

| Original Score: 4/5 | Feb 28, 2022

The movie is constructed like a three-act saga, with only the third part failing to satisfy.

| Original Score: 3/4 | Sep 22, 2021

Isn't nearly as deep as it thinks it is.

| Original Score: C | Sep 18, 2021

Because it attributes nearly everything to individual psychology and individual choices, The Place Beyond the Pines lingers on faces or profiles, as though if only the camera could poke through the skull, we could get at the truth.

| Feb 12, 2021

Overstays its welcome with muddled plotting and an unclear ending. The further it moves along, the weaker it gets.

| Original Score: C+ | Jul 27, 2020

While the contrasts between the main characters are all too obvious, each point of difference is skilfully rendered by director Derek Cianfrance, a rare filmmaking talent.

| Original Score: 3.5/5 | May 8, 2020

The title is almost as long as the movie.

| Apr 24, 2020

Just watch Drive... It'll be better.

| Apr 24, 2020

Great performances, interesting narrative although unevenly structured, The Place Beyond the Pines is very much a character drama.

| Original Score: 4/5 | Nov 27, 2019

The split narrative falls short and appears to be so written merely to allow [Derek] Cianfrance and company a platform for commentary on rampant police corruption.

| Nov 27, 2019

The Place Beyond the Pines is not as bold or important as you think.

| Original Score: 2.8/5 | Nov 19, 2019

The performances are uniformly superb.

| Aug 14, 2019

After his gloriously depressing 2010 sophomore film, Blue Valentine, a hellish drama revolving around one couple's marital strife, Derek Cianfrance somehow manages to top that excellent film with a gloriously staged masterpiece.

| Aug 8, 2019

"Pines" doesn't always click, but it constantly aims high. Its ambition proves to be its strength, giving filmgoers looking for something a little more quiet and reflective a satisfying excursion.

| Original Score: B | Apr 10, 2019

It's possible to admire lots of things about The Place [Beyond The Pines] but still feel like the movie stumbles on its own ambition.

| Feb 26, 2019