MovieChat Forums > The Place Beyond the Pines (2013) Discussion > Almost like two different movies

Almost like two different movies

posted 10 years ago by CaliManDan35
13 replies | jump to latest

I am referring to the first third being a completely different movie from the second and third parts of the movie. They could almost be like two different movies. Maybe it is because you only see one main character in the first part of the movie. And after he dies off you only see another main character in the second part of the movie.

But more than that I am talking about the first part with Ryan Gosling being more of a crime/thriller with him turning to crime and robbing banks. And the second part seems more like a drama with Bradley Cooper trying to work his way through corruption in the PD and then there children meeting and befriending each other.

Anyways, I thought it was a good movie. 8/10. I was surprised when Gosling died. I figured he would be shot but only injured and I guess I just assumed he was in the entire movie since he is a main character but when I saw him laying on the ground outside the window with all that blood I was like "well, he HAS to be dead."

[–] benGsboat 10 years ago

Yeah, when someone told me the first half was great and the second half went downhill, I was a little reluctant to watch it, but...

I thought it was incredible from start to finish -- really intense, and very well acted. It never felt slow or drawn out, even though it took its time to tell the story. Only the ending felt a little heavy-handed.

9/10 for me.

[–] ToHelenBackAgain 10 years ago

Three different movies. I consider this a fatal flaw and, 45 minutes from the end, have completely stopped caring what happens. Pick a story and tell it properly or don't tell any of them at all.

Well acted. I'll give it 4/10 for that, and I'm turning it off now.

I'm fairly certain, sir, that God sat this one out.

[–] benGsboat 10 years ago

I'm sorry you didn't care for it. The last 40m had two great confrontations: one between AJ and Jason (when he discovered it was AJ's dad who killed Luke) and another between Jason and Avery.

Jason spares both of them, then finds the folded picture in Avery's wallet. The film ends with Jason mailing the photo to his mom, then buying a used motorcycle and heading for wherever.

As I mentioned, the last couple of minutes seemed a little much -- but the half hour before that I found quite powerful.

[–] ToHelenBackAgain 10 years ago

I just don't care. The end sounds much as I'd have predicted, but even if it were something unexpected, there's no sense carrying on with a film when you don't care about any of the characters or what happens. Which is the effect on me when I get three different stories after being invested in the first one. It's the movie version of bait-and-switch, and this film switched twice. Once was already one time too many.

I'm fairly certain, sir, that God sat this one out.

[–] The_Dougster 10 years ago

Three different movies. I consider this a fatal flaw and, 45 minutes from the end, have completely stopped caring what happens. Pick a story and tell it properly or don't tell any of them at all.

Yeah, it felt disjointed to me too. The different sub-plots just didn't flow. I found this fim to be pretty disappointing. By the way, am I the only one who found Avery's son, AJ, to be an annoying prick? I just wanted to pimp slap that punk every time he opened his mouth!

[–] sara-34 10 years ago

I agree with you on both points. I think it's possible to have a film with multiple different storylines that converge - it was done in The Joy Luck Club, for example - but this one just failed for me. I think it's because it was not made clear in the previews that that's what this was. Perhaps if Avery had been introduced earlier, so we knew there were multiple main characters, the film would have felt less disjointed.

[–] Stirchley 10 years ago

I agree with the OP. The two halves of the movie were completely different. Too long also; needed some editing.

[–] spiral_static 10 years ago

It's true that the first third of the film is the most intense and probably the highest quality. For me, as he ought, Luke haunts the entire film and even after he is gone, it is him you're thinking about in many situations. And each of the three sections does have a different focus. And individually they're likely of different quality (1 is amazing, 2 is just good, 3 is very good for me) but the point of the film for me is greater than any one section. If Ryan Gosling had stuck around in the film any longer, Luke wouldn't have had such an impact. And although Luke haunts the film it isn't a film about him. It is a film about Father's and sons and who people are and what they do and who they are to each other and the impact they have on each other and what is inherent, what comes from family and what is you and what perhaps is destined and what is created and it is about something more than any one part of this film and about something that only the 3 parts could give and it certainly isn't about this superlong sentence that I didn't put any punctuation into, haha! Ooops!!! 

[–] Kbutler071 9 years ago

It needlessly dragged on. The first half was great though.

[–] liquidraven 9 years ago

A spoiler warning would have been nice, bro >__>

[–] CaliManDan35 9 years ago

Are you talking to me? If so your own stupidity ruined the movie for you. IMDB is a place to discuss movies in depth. The last place any person should be is the message board discussing the movie in depth, if you haven't seen it. And you have the audacity to ask for a spoiler warning when you are actively seeking out a message board and then clicking on a topic that you know based on the title is going to discuss the movie. And you still want a spoiler warning? You are an idiot.

[–] duanereilly74 9 years ago

felt like 3 different movies to me.
Act 1: Gosling bank robberies
Act 2: Cooper/liotta corruption
Act 3: Dehaan (Jason). who stole the show IMO.

[–] seth-shaw23 9 years ago

Incredibly ambitious film to split itself up like that. I thought all 3 acts were great even though they were basically each a different genre.