He played a crack-addicted school teacher in HALF NELSON, a man in love with a blow up doll in LARS AND THE REAL GIRL, and a charismatic but deadly getaway driver in DRIVE –so it’s no surprise that Ryan Gosling was game to play a motorcycle stunt driver who turns to robbing banks in THE PLACE BEYOND THE PINES. Directed by Derek Cianfrance, the film is initially told through the perspective of Gosling’s character Luke. While stopping in Schenectady, New York, Luke runs into a former flame (Eva Mendes) and learns that he is the father of her infant son. Determined to provide for the child, he turns to a life of crime. The film reunites Gosling with his BLUE VALENTINE Cianfrance. The actor has carved out one of the most intriguing film careers in Hollywood–taking on roles in films like THE NOTEBOOK and THE IDES OF MARCH with equal conviction. Yet THE PLACE BEYOND THE PINES may be one of his best performances yet.
