Movies: The Place Beyond the Pines

A stunt driver (played by Ryan Gosling) leads a double life as a criminal, with the help of a seedy car mechanic. Gosling's character falls in love with a woman and her young son, whom he quickly bonds with. The stunt driver must pull off more and riskier jobs to help get the woman money.

No, it's not "Drive". It's "The Place Beyond the Pines":

In "The Place Beyond the Pines," Director Derek Cianfrance has made a quintessentially American cops-and-robbers story. Tonally, the movie's sort of a cross between his sophomore feature, "Blue Valentine," and classic gangster epics like "The Godfather" or "Goodfellas" (Ray Liotta gets a characteristically gritty role) with some decent riffs on sins, forgiveness, and father/son dynamics.

The movie drags, there aren't any exciting chases or action scenes to speak of, and the snakebitten lot of every character feels a bit heavyhanded. If you're willing to overlook these flaws, you'll find a capable evening of entertainment here.

Rating: 7/10