Watch the incredible opening tracking shot from 'The Place Beyond the Pines'

Hitting theaters in most cities today is Derek Cianfrance's sprawling, dramatic epic The Place Beyond the Pines. My review of it will be up here shortly, but those who have already read it elsewhere know that I consider it one of the year's best, a challenging film with something worthwhile to say.  But it's also gorgeously photographed, mesmerizing right from the start, as evidenced by the amazing tracking shot that opens the film and establishes the melancholic mood.

You can now get a look at that opening segment, which follows Ryan Gosling as the tattooed stunt biker Luke, as he walks through a carnival on his way to the dangerous globe of death. Gosling trained for weeks as a rider to perfect his role, and in watching the footage you might be convinced that he actually is performing the stunt himself. In my conversation with Cianfrance, he revealed that he actually used a technique called the "Texas Switch", but it's impossible to see exactly where it was pulled off.

The Place Beyond the Pines is out now, and you should probably make it a priority this weekend. If my review doesn't convince you, maybe this scene will...