Country: USA
Review: The anticipated return of Derek Cianfrance two years after the sensational “Blue Valentine”, ended in disappointment. Although interconnected, the film presents three distinct and uneven parts. The first part was definitely the strongest, telling the story of a stunt motorcyclist who decides to rob banks to support his baby child. Magnificently performed by Ryan Gosling, this part has everything to grab the viewer; an interesting and mysterious character, tense moments, accelerated motorbike scenes, and a surprising conclusion. The second part was moderately interesting and follows a rookie cop who was involved in the first occurrences. Bradley Cooper did a decent job, unmasking high corruption practices in his Police Department and dealing with his own conscience problems. The third part was a total disaster, overturning what had been made until then. It depicts the fortuitous encounter between the sons of the main characters portrayed before. Uninspiring and too calculative, it was frustratingly unstable, ending in a naive way. In resume: every part was weaker than its previous one, making the film lose a lot of strength and balance. If only had been the other way around…! I have no doubt that Cianfrance is a gifted film director. It’s just a matter of returning to uncomplicated screenwriting.
