Derek Cianfrance, director of Blue Valentine is different to a lot of Hollywood directors. He is very character based instead of focusing on the plot. His newest film for 2013, The Place Beyond The Pines, stars Ryan Gosling as a motorcycle stunt rider and Bradley Cooper as the cop-turned-politician.
The title of the film is somewhat related to the place in which it is filmed and set. A lot of the filming was done on location in Schenectady, New York. The name of the film comes from the name of the city, which is the Mohawk word for ‘beyond the pine plains’.
Here’s the synopsis which can be found on IMDB:
A mysterious and mythical motercycle 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 a 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.
Well if that synopsis hasn’t drawn you in yet, having Ryan Gosling and his real-life girlfriend, Eva Mendes, paired together on screen could mean some serious sexual chemistry. Plus Bradley Cooper is another good reason for a ‘perve’ session for girls – his gorgeous bright blue eyes won’t disappoint in this non-stop action and drama film.
Gosling is usually cast as quiet, emotionally distant characters. After being cast a stunt driver in Drive – in which his performance was great – it seems only right to cast him as the stunt rider in this film. It hits cinemas May 9 here in Australia.
