The Place Beyond the Pines
Mercifully Short Review by Jonathan Empson
Wall-of-death motorcycle stunt rider Luke returns to the town of Schenectady, NY, with his carnival and meets a woman he knocked up on a previous visit. He decides to stay on to play daddy, but money’s short. So he teams up with a local mechanic to start robbing banks, using his ace getaway skills.
Then he runs into rookie cop Avery (played by Bradley Cooper, so you know this won’t be a walk-on part). Avery has a law degree and a fragile idealism, but his boss is played by Ray Liotta (so you know his police department will be corrupt).
To say more would spoil the twists, but I’m afraid it’s not as interesting as it sounds. The film tries to tell three or four stories without getting deep into any of the characters: it’s more mood than insight. Good cast, though. 6/10
Released May 9, 2013.
Jonathan Empson is currently writing an eight-part TV series called Dangerously Smart for Palm Beach Pictures.
Jonathan’s TV pilot script Chrome was nominated for an AWGIE in 2010, and his feature script Leonardo’s War reached the top 30 of the 2012 Nicholl Fellowships competition.
He is represented by Rick Raftos Management.