An 'A' for Effort, 'A' as in Acting

THE PLACE BEYOND THE PINES (B+)

We are treated to three generations of actors in the sweeping drama "The Place Beyond the Pines," and Derek Cianfrance sets them loose to squeeze away at his juicy script. This is a three-act extravaganza (a labored 140 minutes) that aims for immortality and gives you your money's worth.

But it falls short as high art, and that takes nothing away from Cianfrance who last pummeled us in 2010 with the relationship psychodrama "Blue Valentine." That stunning film and this one each lean heavily on Ryan Gosling and his rugged pout. But whereas "Valentine" was a compact two-handed exercise, pitting Gosling against the formidable Michelle Williams, here Gosling must lay the foundation for nearly the first hour of "Pines." And that's where the new release falls short of the greatness Cianfrance has had within his grasp.

Gosling and his stock moody-loner character (see also, the unforgivable "Drive") are close to wearing out their welcome. Here, the former child star sets this lumbering locomotive in motion as Luke, a stunt biker and tattooed trouble-maker who soon discovers the joys of robbing banks. This is his way of both impressing the ex he abandoned (Eva Mendes, making quite an entrance) and providing for the 1-year-old son of theirs whom Luke has just found out about upon his return to Schenectady.

It's difficult to discuss the rest of the movie without spoiling too much of the plot, but as Luke spins out of control, Gosling eventually hands off the film to Bradley Cooper, who finds just the right pitch as Avery, a law school grad slumming as a rookie cop but who also, as the son of a former New York State judge, harbors political ambitions, especially after he earns hero status for his daring police work. While Gosling and Cooper are given a portentous story to carry on their manly shoulders, their female co-stars, Mendes as Luke's girlfriend and Rose Byrne as Avery's wife, have little to work with aside from brooding over their bad boys. In a 180 from "Blue Valentine," this is a purely masculine film, a cautionary tale about the things that fathers pass on to their sons.

If the two young stars of the moment aren't quite up to producing an epic for the ages, they are rescued by an impressive cast of older actors. Journeyman Ben Mendelsohn throws a lifeline to Gosling in the first third as a shady body-shop owner, Robin, who recruits Luke for a few big scores. I've never seen Mendelsohn, an Australian actor who has kicked around for two decades, but with roles in some recent high-profile movies ("The Dark Knight Rises," "Killing Them Softly") perhaps his time has come. (He brings to mind Peter Coyote and John Hawkes.) The first third of "Pines" is awfully flat (on top of everything, Gosling and Mendes have no chemistry), and Mendelsohn gives things a jolt and keeps this one from going permanently off the rails.

In the second act, we're treated to some classic police graft, and no one does that better than Ray Liotta. When the film introduces his sleazy detective and a DA played by Bruce Greenwood (one of my favorites, from "Flight," "I'm Not There," "Exotica" and TV's "Nowhere Man" and "St. Elsewhere"), it's time for the grown-ups to right this ship. Longtime character actor Harris Yulin makes the most of his scenes as Avery's father/conscience. Cianfrance traffics in close-ups throughout, and these three veterans speak volumes with their wrinkles alone. Liotta's entrance is so powerful -- just a couple of his hard glances can elicit gasps -- that it makes the first half of the film seem in retrospect like just a warm-up filmed with stand-ins.

The final third of the film -- a jarring flash forward of 15 years, with inadequately aged actors -- hands the proceedings off yet again, this time to a pair of 17-year-olds, Emory Cohen and Dane DeHaan, who gamely carry this caravan across the finish line. My problem here isn't with the kids (Cohen is OK as a thick-headed guido, while DeHaan finds some depth to his character) but with a wild, improbable plot coincidence -- one of my cinematic pet peeves.

I don't normally focus so much analysis on acting; I tend to watch movies based on the work of directors. (Recent previews, by the way, have me giddy with anticipation for the latest films of two of my favorites, Noah Baumbach and Sofia Coppola.) But with "Pines," Cianfrance, ably aided by cinematographer Sean Bobbitt ("Shame"), tends to sit back and let the cast just go for it. Cianfrance may yet write and direct a masterpiece. "The Place Beyond the Pines" is a valiant attempt at crafting an epic, akin to the sweeping saga "Babel" by Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu, who aimed for greatness there and mostly succeeded.

"Pines" is, on balance, a compelling film. Cianfrance should be commended for his bravery in being willing to drive this project off a cliff at times. He shouldn't be criticized for trying. But we should be forgiven for wishing this one had at least been the first great film of 2013.