Review of Beyond the Pines

In today's New York Times Book Review, Clive James, critic extraordinaire, says a good review says, "Look at this!  This is good."

LOOK AT THIS!  THIS IS GOOD.

Warning: yes, it's an art film.  It's deep.  It doesn't settle for cheap moments.

Ryan Gosling is scary as the well-meaning carney who tries to settle down for the baby son he didn't know he didn't have.  It's a lot like his role in Drive,  the working class dude who keeps to himself, says little, seems to have an ethic, and then has to violate it.  Not new stuff, but he's good doing it.  Again.

Bradley Cooper is excellent as the lawyer-turned-cop whose life is changed by Gosling.  He does a good job with the role of the man whose life is in flux when he appears in the film, then becomes a Greek tragedy -- hero, then goat.

It's deep stuff.

Ray Liotta is good as the menacing older cop; Harry Yulin is good as Cooper's father; Bruce Greenwood is his usual quality as the DA; and Rose Byrne (who doesn't love Rose Byrne?) is excellent as Cooper's troubled wife (who wants to be a cops wife?).

And I have to mention the camera work.  Director Derek Cianfrance uses hand-held (isn't it?) for some of the chase scenes, making you wish you had taken your Dramamine, and his writing work (he's one of the credited ones) deserves kudos -- the pines of the title play a subtle role in the whole and the dialogue is sharp.

Great cast, good story, interesting visuals.

See it.