A motorcycle stunt rider considers committing a crime in order to provide for his wife and child, an act that puts him on a collision course with a cop-turned-politician.
This is a story about legacy, the sins of the father, the restlessness in our souls. It's powerful, it's bold, it hits you hard.
– Steven Rea,
Philadelphia Inquirer,
11 Apr 2013
rotten:
The Place Beyond the Pines is hackneyed and dull: Not a single moment rings true.
– Rene Rodriguez,
Miami Herald,
11 Apr 2013
fresh:
"Pines" is hardy stuff, but it's at its toughest when Gosling's on screen.
– Tom Long,
Detroit News,
12 Apr 2013
fresh:
This naturalistic drama is ambitious to the point of being unwieldy... But once the story has advanced from one generation to the next and its thematic sweep has become apparent, these flaws seem much more tolerable.
– J. R. Jones,
Chicago Reader,
12 Apr 2013
rotten:
What Cianfrance has written has scraps of surprise and a fine chase sequence, but it doesn't reach for the stars or the emotional cosmos -- or, at least, it doesn't know how to get there.