Ryan Gosling rides it out

Spoiler alert - Ryan Gosling fan, here. Since his star-making swagger in The Notebook, I've been watching his career unfold. There’s more here than a ‘pretty’ face, he’s fearless on screen and off. Witness his YouTube moment where, on the sidewalk in NYC, he tried to be a hero and was caught on cell phone video (“That’s the guy!”). Sadly his negotiating skills helped the thief get away with the goods! Nonetheless, this weekend he opens with a stellar cast in The Place Beyond the Pines.

As a fan of crime procedurals, I love a great plot and tight script. Will this movie deliver? If having so many strong stars sign on is any indication, there’s a good chance. Here Gosling leaves his tailored, 1940s suits from Gangster Squad – another film with promise that died hard. Much rides on the editor and the director’s choices long after the film is wrapped and that film was a sad mix of great art direction but a failure of sincerity and style over story-telling skills. I felt sorry for the actors.

In Place Beyond the Pines, Gosling gives his gritty guy persona another ride as a stuntman racing his motorcycle into bank heists. Improbable but seeing that the chemistry with director Derek Cianfrance is secure from their work together on the celebrated Blue Valentine, there’s hope. Cianfrance has spoken about working to capture “intimate moments between people.”

It remains to be seen if that vision holds fast and survives the re-writes and committees that major studio releases often fall prey to. Also, given a big budget, based on his previous critical and box office successes, as he opens the palette up to larger scenarios, it may be harder to keep the core intimacy focused. If he strays there, the audience will as well and we’ll all be left with just another bank heist movie, motorcycle stunts and all.

Photo courtesy of Brigade Marketing and Focus Pictures