The Place Beyond the Pines

***The Place Beyond the Pines*** is a 2012 American crime drama film.

## Synopsis

A motorcycle stunt rider turns to robbing banks as a way to provide for his lover and their newborn child, a decision that puts him on a collision course with an ambitious rookie cop navigating a department ruled by a corrupt detective.

## Plot

In 1997, Luke Glanton is a motorcycle stuntman. In Schenectady, New York, Luke reunites with his ex-lover Romina Gutierrez, who is dating another man named Kofi Kancam. Luke discovers that Romina has a baby son named Jason that he fathered which she never revealed to him, so Luke quits his job to stay with Romina and their son.

Luke begins working part-time for auto mechanic Robin Van Der Hook. Luke asks Robin for more work, and Robin offers to partner with Luke in robbing banks. Luke and Robin successfully rob a few banks, with Luke performing the robbery and using his motorcycle as a getaway vehicle, hiding it in a box truck driven by Robin.

Luke gives his share of the money to Romina, and visits her and his son more often. Luke takes Romina and Jason out for ice cream, and the three ask a passerby to take a photo to capture the moment. Luke and Kofi, who objects to Luke’s presence, get into a fight, and Luke is arrested after hitting Kofi in the head with a screwdriver. After Robin bails him out of jail, Luke gives his savings to Romina to give to Jason when he's older. Luke insists on resuming their bank robberies, but Robin objects, and two have a falling-out that results in Robin dismantling Luke’s motorcycle. Luke robs Robin at gunpoint, and uses the money to buy a new bike.

Luke attempts to rob a bank alone, but is pursued by police. Luke is cornered in a house by rookie police officer Avery Cross (Cooper) and calls Romina, asking her not to tell Jason who he was. Avery enters the room and shoots Luke in the stomach. Luke fires back, hitting Avery in the leg, but falls out the window to his death.

Avery later lies and says that Luke fired first, and the events make Avery into a local hero. Avery and his fellow officers illegally seize the stolen money from Romina's home. Avery later feels remorse and attempts to return the money to Romina, but she rejects his offer. Avery then tries to turn the money in to the chief of police, who rebuffs him. Discouraged, Avery tape records illegal practices in the police department, and uses the recordings to pressures the district attorney to hire him as an assistant district attorney.

Fifteen years later, Avery, now the District Attorney, is running for Attorney General of New York. Avery has his troubled teenage son A.J., who had been living with Avery’s ex-wife, move in with him and transfer to Schenectady High School. There, A.J. befriends Jason (DeHaan), but neither know the history between their fathers. The two are later arrested for felony drug possession, but when Avery is called in to pick up his son, he recognizes Jason's name. He gets Jason's charge dropped to a misdemeanor and orders A.J. to stay away from him.

Kofi finally tells Jason his father's name, allowing Jason to discover Luke's past on the Internet. Jason visits Robin, who shows Jason him a newspaper article with photos of Luke and Avery. Back in school, A.J. pressures Jason to steal Oxycontin, which Jason does in a manner similar to his father's robberies. When he enters A.J’s house with the drugs, Jason sees a photograph of Avery and realizes that A.J.'s father is the man who killed his own father. Jason confronts A.J., and the two get into a fight.

The next morning, Jason buys a gun, breaks into the Cross family home, beats A.J., and takes Avery hostage. Jason forces Avery to drive into the woods, where Avery breaks down and tearfully apologizes for killing Jason's father. Instead of killing him, Jason steals Avery's wallet and leaves him there. In the wallet, Jason finds the photo of him, Romina and Luke eating ice cream, which Avery had stolen from the evidence locker.

Sometime later, Avery wins his bid for New York Attorney General, with A.J. at his side. Romina receives an envelope addressed to "Mom", with the old photograph inside. Jason purchases a motorcycle, starts the bike, and rides away from his old life.