Though religion is never an issue, the sins of the fathers is a theme that reverberates with biblical overtones in "The Place Beyond the Pines." After his intense examination of a marriage gone sour in "Blue Valentine," director/writer Derek Cianfrance teams up once again with actor Ryan Gosling to test two theories: 1) Blood is thicker than water. 2) Young men are a force of nature.
The film belongs to Gosling, though his appearance is limited to just one-third of the story. Gosling (or "The Gos" as he's known in the U.S.) keeps you riveted, with the way his character Luke gets torn between his desire to be a good father and the ungovernable rages and urges of being a young man. Luke's untamed male-ness comprises his dark mystique and at the same time sets him up for an inevitable downfall. Significantly, Gosling has almost no dialogue but his whole being speaks volumes.
Forming a neat contrast to Luke is Bradley Cooper's Avery, who is basically one of life's victorious chess players. Also a young father, Avery is a cop who can can spot a speck of danger from a mile away and knows how to avoid disaster as well as negotiate and maneuver to get the board working to his advantage. Avery is not a bad man; he may even be a good one. But he can't mesmerize the way Luke does, mainly because in the modern world we run into Averys every day; we understand exactly where he's coming from and where he's headed next. With Luke, nothing is clear but an unquenchable thirst for freedom and his inherent discomfort with the trappings of modern life.