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By the looks of the trailers, I actually had a slight hope for this flick. I'm a sucker for survival-movies and it starred Fishbourne and Paxton, cool right? No! This movie had everything going for it, but they managed to ruin it.

First of all, how did Fishbourne and Paxton do? They did alright, it's just that their characters are horrible clichés. Fishbourne is obviously the wise, great leader everybody loves and Paxton is his counter-part. A trigger-happy redneck who wants to have a tighter regime among the survivors, this character could be exciting, but with no development nor a lot of screen-time, he becomes too boring..

Speaking of survivors, I forgot to mention the 'Day after tomorrow'-plot here. We get to know that it just started snowing, that's why the entire globe has entered a new ice age, well okay, now I feel wiser. The plot is also told though the narration of the protagonist Sam, who looks a lot like Emile Hirsch, just more wooden. After receiving a distress call from another group of survivors, Fishbourne, Sam and some random dead- beat who brings pornography on expeditions (Fishbourne even asks if he wants to be alone when he pulls the magazine out, I'm not kidding)goes to investigate. After they find a skinnier version of Sharlto Copley, we meet the bad guys, who are basically a bunch of exaggerated orcs. The movie also tries to create some minor sub-plots, but fails. The tedious nightmare with flashbacks from Sam's childhood doesn't add anything to the story, and is explained by Fishbourne after 30 minutes, there goes the potential mystery.

I must admit this film is on the verge of becoming a B-movie. The effects are horrendous, the camera gets a seizure during the fight- scenes and the ending was predicted during the first five minutes. It's sad to see such great actors get involved in garbage such as this now a days.

Cianfrance made a name for himself as an original filmmaker after 2010's "Blue Valentine". Now he's back with "The Place Beyond The Pines" with Gosling returning as the protagonist, with the addition of big names such as Bradley Cooper, Eva Mendes and Ray Liotta.

The story is split into three segments, all intervening in some way and are consequences of the first and second parts. In the first part, we meet Gosling as an inked up, stunt-motorcyclist doing shows with a touring circus. After a spectacular show, he meets an old flame, which is the bearer of bad news. I don't wanna spoil anything at all, but Gosling makes some bad choices which ends up in a calamity with Bradley Cooper, which is a rookie cop and the main man in the second segment. Himself makes some bad choices which all comes back to him in the end. It's a thrilling and interesting exploration of blood- bonds and consequences.

Gosling puts on a performance which reminds me much of "driver" from "Drive". A quiet type which is an expert on vehicles, but his character here is much more personal and shows more emotion, great play indeed. Cooper puts on one of his greatest performances to date. The rest of the supporting cast also does an amazing job, especially the younger cast.

The filming is unique. The opening shot is masterful, which tells a lot about Gosling's character without him saying a single line or showing his face, that's really interesting. Some shots are just beautiful, if there's one in particular, it's when Gosling drives his motorcycle down a road through the forest, wonderful. The score is also unique, never thought a few taps on a piano could stir up so many emotions, because this film really makes you feel something.

Cianfrance has probably made the greatest film of 2013 so far. The story, cast, filming and score is amazing. Unfortunately it loses some steam by the end. Nevertheless, this film is great, go see it!

-MB