I recently watched this film and was very impressed. It is a pretty straight-forward drama but it is done in a very unique way and tells a great story of how violence can affect everyone, fathers, mothers, and especially children. The performances are what really stand out in the film though. Ryan Gosling and Bradley Cooper are stellar. Its nice to see Cooper do the more dramatic roles after all of the Hangover movies. Eva Mendes really surprised me though. I've never been too impressed by her acting ability before but she was excellent in her role here. The other great part of the cast was Dane DeHaan. He really impressed me in Chronicle and did the same in Pines. I think he's a young, up-in-comer that we'll be hearing a lot more from in the future.
The movie does have its flaws, but they are few and far between. My biggest gripe was the run time because the movie does drag, but everything else makes up for that. It was a beautifully shot film and not a bad performance at all from any of the actors. And Derek Cianfrance is definitely a director to look out for in the future. I also think some Oscar nods should come this movie's way, but since it come out earlier in the year, it may miss out, which is a shame.
The movie does have its flaws, but they are few and far between. My biggest gripe was the run time because the movie does drag, but everything else makes up for that. It was a beautifully shot film and not a bad performance at all from any of the actors. And Derek Cianfrance is definitely a director to look out for in the future. I also think some Oscar nods should come this movie's way, but since it come out earlier in the year, it may miss out, which is a shame.