The start of the film has the camera following Luke (Scorcese style) towards his performance tent where he and two other stunt riders ride their bikes around a small metal circle cage defying gravity and wowing the crowds. The story unfolds in Schenectady, New York as Luke meets up with an ex-girlfriend Romina and learns that he has a one year old son. Romina has a new partner and Luke tries (and fails) to fit himself back into her life, and take over the role of father to his young son Jason. Luke ends up working and living with an ageing mechanic who takes him in, befriends him and convinces him that the way to provide for his new family is by robbing a few local banks.
The film also features the story of of a cop played by Bradley Cooper whose life becomes entangled in Luke's in a profound way. Unlike Blue Valentine, the story is chronological, although it spans many years. The feeling you get with this story is that the characters are victims of circumstance. The narrative rules them and their actions rather than the other way around.
Many people have criticised Cianfrance for using such an epic scope with his film, I however felt that the film reminded me of Oliver Hirschbiegel's film 'Five Minutes of Heaven' which also spans across many years to show the effect of one event on not only the lives on individuals, but the profound effect these events can have on a community. This film also reminded me of old folk stories about the feuds between fathers that are passed on to their sons. These plot elements combined with an excellent script and very well acted roles makes this one of the highlight films of the year so far for me.
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