Breaking the Cycle and Final Thoughts

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People with the Wells Fargo Active Cash credit card prefer to pay because they earn unlimited two percent cash rewards on purchases. Okay, Rack paper scissors for it. Rock paper scissors. S T Wells Fargo Aive cash credit card, visit Wellspargo. com slash active cash terms apppply Ride like lightning, you'll crash like thunder. Last year, we ranked The Place Beyond the Pines as the most underrated movie of all time. It follows Luke Glanted, a talented motorcycle stunt rider who turns to robbing Banks in an attempt to provide a better life for his estranged girlfriend and their infant son. His criminal path collides violently with that of ambitious young cop Avery Cross Setting off a chain of events that ripples through both families with devastating consequences for their sons. Spanning more than a decade and two generations, the film explores the themes of fatherhood legacy and the incaable incaable inescapable impact of past choices on the next generation. What's up movie friends? Welcome back to Raiders of a Lost podcast. Anthony and James here. Now if you've listened to our show at any point, pretty much any episode over the past five years, you'll know But this episode has been a long time coming We love this film and we still stand by it calling it like the most underrated film underappreciated film. because it is that good and if it came out today it would be the awards front runner, I would say. I think so. I think so. what Derekson France did He was kind of ahead of the curve, storytelling wise and audiences weren't quite up to speed with him. That's why this film didn't do great at the box office, but it's got great word of mouth Whenever I mention it, the people do like, I love that movie. And it's a great movie to introduce to people James and I have literally turned it into thening one of the running jokes of this podcast just chant in. Get the muddy in the bag F up fuck this up. So it's about time. we talked about the movie in full detail as a regular episode. James, I'm surprised. I mean, you have a fit You have a looke fit, you got a t shirt. Nos to no face tattoos and you said you were gonna dye your hair blonde for this. I looked into the dyeing the hair blonde. The problem is our hair is so dark that I would have to bleach it and then dye it. so it's like a whole process. It's expensive. I got a wig and it just looked like ass. It was a terrible wig. It looked horrible. The face tats my makeup artist was gonna do it, but she is unavailable today. Shen. wouldould you have had the bleeding knife? Would have done the bleeding knife? I don't have makeup artist this is just my roommate. So I couldn't do that. but I got I got this shirt a couple weeks ago, not knowing we werere doing thispisode but it's very Luke Clinton shirt Yeah. gossling, you know He's become, you know, the mummification of him is literally great, literally me He had this it's really because of the one two punch of drive and then place beyond the Pines A couple years apart. But those movies coming out in succession for him Really defined him as like the new cool guy in Hollywood Everybody knew who he was. He had he was in hit movies. He was highly respected actor, Oscar nominee U for Half Nelson, yeah. Yeah. in some great indie movies, but then in some pretty big movies But really, it was the combination of drive, what do you brought to that role and then doing placel Beyond the Pines It was a really incredible one to punch of this guy is greatreat at portraying masculinity in different ways and showcasing Vulnerability while while still putting forth, you know, a strong exterior The quiet hero The morally grreay ambiguous antihero both those both these roles And would place beyond the pine, someone who Uh, As imorally gr as they are, they're still fueled by tragedy too. And he does an incredible job And this film of really making you feel for the character U, you feel like, you know, a bit of a betrayal and you can feel why he's choosing to do the things he does in this film. But at the same time, being really cool and unique, you've never seen a character design like it He came up with the design of the character or all the tattoos, the the outfits And we talked about in our episode with Mark Avery gosling stylists, how he really is a trendetter C culturally with fashion with hair And after Place Beyond the Pines came out, what happened Suddenly, metallic and meegadath tes became really cool. All the influencers and the Kardashians started wearing cut off band tees tattoos guys are getting sleeves and Justin Be notot just sleeves, it's just more of like the small tattoos. tattoos everywhere. And you know People like Justin Bieber bleached their hair and did the messy messy down hair that gossing did in this movie. And that became fashionable for at least five years these kinds of looks and still I mean, I walked into a a store deal other day atemball and they were selling metallica cut off teas. It's still popular, but he really like he's such a great but also characterered creator And that's really what sets him apart from most actors is Gossling's talent, not just as a performer, but in crafting persona of these people And this is going to be a deep dive episode guys. So there's going to be tons of spoilers We're going to talk about All the different plot points. So this is a warning know, we're not going to do spoiler free for three minutes. We're going to go right into this f. Right in there, man. But if you've never seen placelace Beyond the Pines, go watch it as soon as possible Come back As soon as possible. Enjoyed this episode. And when do you think maybe she should be taken to the hospital? When do you think maybe he should watch B place be on the bes. Soon as possible As soon as possible. shhining Come back and watch this episode because we're gonna we're going break this can open. We're going to go in depth on this movie because we adore it. Now Gosling's character, Luke is so strong of a character because of the legacy that you feel throughout the course of the film. and Brady Cooper's Avery Cross as well This movie's a really interesting story because it's an epic, a contemporary epic. in a lot of ways, it it's I compare it to the Goddfather. Obviously very different scale of filmmaking. differentere quality, different areas. No olive oil. No olive oil business at all But you can look at them in similar ways of the legacy of a father of a patriarch and what it does to the rest of the family, what it does to the son as he grows up And this movie is about legacy and the sins of fathers on their sons The central theme, I think is really powerful and resonates with the triptic style of the story The story is really three movies. And what's really interesting about the tririptk story, usually if we get something like that, it's generally nonlinear But this movie is all in chronological order whichich is a challenge. I think the easier thing would have been to write it nonlinearly so that you can kind of connect everything a lot more simply. But I think it was pretty brave to keep this chronological because that's a difficult story to tell. it's difficult to engage with your audience for a long rntime of three stories when Who you think is the main character of the film gets fucking killed within an hour of the movie's runtime, ish But what's so powerful about it is even though Luke dies, he gets killed by Avery Cross in the film played by Bradley Cooper also excellent in equally different ways as Ryan is as Luke becomes Avery's story. And then it becomes their son's story. But even though Luke is gone, You never feel The void of him being gone. You feel his presence throughout the entire runtime of the movie Not as a ghost But almost as a ghost, as a memory, like almost like a memory ghost because The story does such a great job connecting these two men who by chance have an encounter that leads to one of their deaths Luke robs a bank. And we'll get to the repercussions of his actions and what led to it in a bit. Avery is the cop that shoots him But they both have committed sins. Avery's shooting wasn't justified And he lies about it, he becomes corrupt, which changes the course of his life It also changes the course of how he treats his son because of what he's done because they both have one year old sons And now he's taken the father away from one of the sons And then the third story is about their sons's chance meeting and what happens and the repercussions of their sins of their fathers on their legacy and how they can't escape it. Yeah, and the Tripic is great because it's it's all one story But you get three different genres You get the crime bank robbery genre in the first triptk, in the first chapter with with Luke. and Ramina. And then the second film, you get police corruption. in IA investigations in You know, M mob ties in an incredible chilling performance from Ra Oo. Yeah, Ra Oud. onene of his best final performances And then in the third film you have a coming of Age drama. Yeah. You get three different movies in one movie, all one story But each story is kind of a different genre set within the same same overarching story, which is really great. And Sin Frz balances the narrative so beautifully And we use them together seamlessly Um and and you love each story for different reasons. L I love Luke's story. Luke and Romina And then I love Avery story And then AJ and Jason in both of their stories in the third chapter And they're different and you obviously, I think everybody gravitates to the Gossling story a little bit more just because he's so impactful and he's so such a great onn screen presence and seriously such and this was really just like him putting a stamp on Hollywood showing like I'm the next guy. I'm the next big big leading man. This is I mean, the fact that he did he did dry crazy stupid love in this all within a few years, such very different so many different characters and ye, this was twenty twelve. On top of that, He's surrounded by such great actors And so many great supporting roles that Obviously G gosling in Bradley get their lion share of credit in this film in terms of how people talk about it. Rose Burnurn is excellent in this film. Ava Mendez is wonderful. Maybe the first thing I remember seeing Herschel Alian Yeah he's so good in this movie and I remember I mean, sure he was I'm sure he was in small roles here and there, but I really took note of him in this film. He's great. He's it's a hard role to play But he makes he creates a character who's filled with heart, trying to do the right thing, trying to, you know, take care of this young child that isn't his, but raise him as his own becausecause it kind of goes against the when the audience is rooting for Luke They kind of root against coffee because he's in his way of being like You want the father and son to have a relationship So in a way, he's kind of an antagonist or a foil to Luke Naturally But he's a good guy which makes it a really interesting dynamic between him Remina and Luke. And then a screenwood. I love Bruce Greenwood He's always an incredible supporting actor and he's not is a ton of stuff. Yeah. but he when he is He is so strong in every scene like When he's that first conversation he has that like first interview he has with Bradley when Bradley's in the hospital bed. They they did a great job of creating this like awkward tension of Bradley, you know, he's he's lying, but but Rruce sense something's off, but like you the attney theistrict attorney general by the way. Yeah in investigating the shooting. Um, But there's this great like they they create a great amount of like friction between them that feels realistic It's not simple by the numbers. You shot him. he shot you. He's like, So who shot you shot him first, right? And then They get in Brad is getting a little mixed up with his wording, But Bruce is always just like whenever he's in a scene you're like, oh fuck He's on Is he onnto him? Is he not ono him? And because he's just trying to do his job Bruce plays it so well And then the actor plays AJ What's his name off topop my head I always forget his name Dan Dhan, big coming out party for him exxcellent in this film shhare similar features to Gossing as well. Like you're like, oh this could definitely be his son And then the guy who plays AJ Um One second. He was just in Mari Supreme, He was in Brooklyn I remember came rememberur'sday I remember being so blown away by him in this performance as Like I think we all grew up like knowing a guy like that, you know, the big troublemaker The guy was always trying to score drugs, The guy was always trying to get lit, trying to party Um but he's someone who Emory Cohen Em Em Cohen. Emory Cohen, inccredible in this film Hes such a great performance And he's someone who on the surface is like he's a fucking doochebag He's trouble But it's he's Desperate dad's validation, desperate for Avery to notice him, to spend time with him. He's so desperate to move in with his dad But Avery's so focused on career It's and it's so ironic that like, you know, biggest upstanding citizen and symbol of justice in law and order has Asonu such a troublemaker It's a great contrast. for Avery and AJ to have that dynamic. So the supporting cast of this movie It's so Ben Mendelson. B Robin, Ben. Ben Mandelson, how could I forget Ben So great, so charming Charismatic He plays a he plays that, you know, down on his luck kind of like lovable loser in a way U You can't help but like gravitate to him and the scenes that him and Gossic share together are just magic. The choices of the fathers have lingering impacts on their sons. And that's what defines their characters Luke's violence and the absence he has in Jason's life shapes Jason. You know, Jason's a loner. He's a stoner He has a stepfather who he never fully connects with And I think what the film does a really genius job of is visual motifs that echo throughout different parts of the story to connect the fathers, specifically Jason to Luke You know, you don't really see it so much with Avery and AJ because I think Luke and Jason are really the leads of the film And their story is really the star of the movie. But there's great visual motifs Like riding bikes, you know, Luke's a great motorcycle rider. Awesome. But what does his son do? He's never met his dad if he rides a bike He has some connection to the feeling of riding. that he can't help but feel. also visual motifs of that beautiful behind high over the high behind shot. of several feet in the air behind Luke rideing his motorcycle on the street and then sure And then Jason riding his bicycle down the street, beautiful visual motifs to connect the characters. sort of like you said, kind of like a ghost, like a visual ghost, a memory Um But also I think one of the strongest motifs of the movie with Jason, Luke and then Kofi. R The ice cream scene. And I think it's really powerful. it's simple, but it's powerful You know, Luke now the open this movie is terrific. G woner. We'll get more into detail Romina comes to See again because she probably know she's pregnant now she's opening wner. Let's just talk about that. I w want toay on the point. Okay me. All right. we'll you point. sorry. She comes to Prob is afraid to tell him that she's had his son And just want to see one last time then he's off again. and discovers that he has a one year old baby. He wants to be in his life And one of the things that he wants to do is trying to like be a part of it. He's like, I want to give ice cream for the first time. I want him to Every time he tastes ice cream to see my stupid face. He's gonna to see my fucking face every time he tries ice cream. I want to give him something for the first time. It's a special thought. It's nice Andntil Romina lets him give Jason Eicen for the first time as a baby. It's a beautiful scene. It's a very tragic scene as well because Romina iss crying. and this leads to the photograph, which is a visual motif throughout the film Now that's paired with the ice cream point about to make. And that vision motif brings up the strongest emotions for me in the film throughout the course of the story when eventually to the end of the film when Jason discovers it inside of Avery's wallet. Yeah Avery keeps it. Avery's been keeping that in his wallet for such a long period of time And Jason discovers it and it's so powerful they sent it to his mother at the end of the film The ice cream scene that the photoos taken at is reflected later on when Kofee and Jason go get ice cream together The scenes Lit at night, it's dark Jason isn't really responding to coffee telling him, I'm your father. I've raised you. I've been there since the beginning. like I love you Jason never says anything back And it's a great reflection of Luke trying to connect with his son even though he never will get to It's mirrored later on with Jason having a father figure but still feeling the absence of his father through the ice cream is a great motif. And also quoting Darth Vader. Yeah as a joke, but also subconsciously telling the audience like, hey, I'm not a villain I'm your dad. Don't look at me like the bad guy So it's actually very tragic for Kofi because he's trying to connect who is who it really is. I mean, he's his father. Yeah. U And so like, Qoting Darth Vader, I always looked at as like, he's just saying I'm not a bad I'm not the bad guy I'm not a villain. I'm your dad So it's even though cooffee doesn't have much time, rearschel doesn't have much time I think even these supporting roles in this film are so impactful Can we stay on this before we get into like specifics like the wonder because I want to talk about so that's that's a and then This absence of Luke from Jason's life, the violence that he discovers leads to Jason doing the same things. You know, even the robbery scene of Luke It's very much mirrored with Jason later on when he steals the Oxies He does it in a pretty similar way. He pulls up on a bike to a pharmacy, sneaks in. Steals something from the top shelf, runs out and rides away The exact same way his father, Rob Banks B riding the dirt bike up driving away with the money. Jason knows the exact same thing also gets violence. they also end up very bloodied and battered by the ends of their stories in a way kind of mir it as well. But then when you connect it to A.J and Avery I have to admit sometimes the workload of the podcast can get overwhelming with All the recording, the editing, we go to a lot of events, travel a lot and I get burnt out quite a bit. and I think that's where it's important to consider therapy and talking to somebody In finding a therapist, it's already hard enough Esespecially when the takes are insurance and that's where Rula comes into play because other therapy platforms fall short, but Rula doesn't. They do things differently. They partner with over one hundred insurance plans, They make an average c pay of just fifteen dollars fif per session It's real therapy, licensed professionals at a price that really makes sense. Ruula considers your goals, your preferences, the background of yourself to provide you a curated list of licensed in network therapists who are actually align with what you need. Go to rula dot com slash Raiders to get started today. That's rula dot com slash Raiders for quality therapy that's covered by insurance. Ruula is committed to seeing you succeed in reaching your therapy goals making sure that Their therapy providers are carefully screened and veted monitoring the quality of their care and helping you monitor your progress in therapy Thousands of people are already using Rula to get affordable quality therapy that's actually covered by insurance. Visit rula. com slash riders to get started after you sign up. You'll be asked how you heard about them, Please support our show. And let them know we sent you. That's RuLa. com slash riders You deserve mental health care that works with you, not against your budget Did you know Sam's Club isn't a store? It's actually a club withith cool finds and like a whole community. It's a club. Of course, Jason, it's in the name. Sam's Club Oh, yeah Come join us, Sam's Club Avery's ambition Avery's guilt shhape AJ After he shoots Luke He discovers that Luke had a son that he left behind Obviously, he feels guilt for the shooting because he knows it wasn't justified Luke didn't have a gun raised and he has saliva, which leads to his corruption and his guilt But when he discovers that Luke also had a one year old son What happens next is rehabilitation. as well as therapy sessions. And in a therapy session, He eventually opens up about How he can't look at his son I have a hard time looking at my son I feel the guilt of what I've done. I'veaken far away from another son And so You can imagine AJ's entire life, Avery can barely look at them He can barely connect to him because of the guilt he has for what he's done to Jason and Luke That's why he carries that picture. And a great connection to his ab his distance from his own son is how close he is to his own father, AJ's grandfather You know, I love the pool sequences this too. When when Avery is in the pool with his father, they're very close. They're connected. They're swimming together in the pool when Avery still young And then later on sameame pool. AJ Jumps in swims alone Avery's at a table watching him from a distance. another way to show howant this distant they are, even though they're in each other's lives. And also the scene where AJ basically begs Avery to let him move in with him U, it was after a funeral of another officer. No, it's his father, his father, I mean And Avery's like, I don't know. We'll see let me talk to your mother. Like He's avoiding trying to be a father. You know, so it's it's it's his ex wife wants Jennifer Yeah. Yeah, that's how it about it. Yeah, ye Yeah. ye. And Avery's like He's doing everything everything he can to not be a father. and to avoid the duties of being a father which reflects Totally to the opposite of what Luke wanted When he found out he was a father, he wanted to do everything he could to be a father. Um, but Lukeas on He's someone who clearly wants to do the right thing, but I also look this movie's centered upon the idea of You the consequences of actions Everything is consequences of actions And characters and people being stuck into these putting themselves into the situations where they have bad consequences. Luke. you know He didn't know he had a kid. O obviously he's pissed about it at first. but You know, he he ghosted Romina. She never heard from him for a year. U Did he deserve to know he had a kid. Yeah, obviously Romina should have told him that she had as a baby or sooner and that she was pregnant, but It's his the consequences were on him because he chose not to K Romina in his life And he would have never seen her again if she wasn't pregnant So he that's what starts out. That's the first consequence he's struggling to deal with that he doesn't understand that he caused it You know what I mean And then You know, even though he's desperate desperate to be a father He wasn't there for Amina. So she chose to be with someone else. liivving with the con consequences of that that puts him into the situation of There's no way for me to support my son I can't get a steady job , but also being he's an extremely aggressive person He has kindness and has love in his heart. He's also a very rough person You you take the incident with build building the crib He was trying to do something nice, but He's not respecting boundaries He's forcing himself into the home U and the consequences of that is causing an altercation with Kofi. That leads to him when there's violence, when there's aggression, when there's conflict, he lashes out physically a tax Kofee And that destroys everything. And then there's literally no way for him to get back into that home. And that leads him to the consequence of Okay, I need to turn to crime to do anything to support my kid If I can't be there for him At least I can try to support him And then the consequences of Avery Killing Luke without justification, and the consequences of that Becoming, you know, kind of a star in the police department But on top of that, he's dealing with the corruption that he's forced into and trying to go along with the corruption And he's a guy who Again, like Luke Mans well has a good heart, made a mistake madeade bad choices Daling with that, and that puts him into the situation of the consequences worsening And then we have the the consequences of how their children are now uh, how they've been raised and how they behave now Both troubled kids They are like the manifestation of the consequences of their fathers. The sins of their fathers affect them. Now, we're going to break more down. In just a minute, I want to talk about the sponsor of this episode. 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Their sons are trapped in what their fathers have done And I like how you brought up how they both have good hearts Luke, there's a good person in there The absence of his father The sins of his father have created him He talks multiple times My father wasn't around look how I turned out. to the point where he understands that He doesn't want Jason to turn out fucked up like him And so after he gets arrested, he robbs a couple of banks, gets arrested for hittding coffee assaulting him eventually gets bailed out to do the found robbery. But when he's on the phone with Ramina when he's about to get shot by Luke He's inside that bedroom of stairs All he's been trying to do to this point is be in Jason's life because he understands that The sins of his father have shaped him. What's he tell Re He says tell him about me Just do me one last favor. Tell him about me. I don't want them to know who I was What I've done The things I've done. Its like I don't exist Well't tell him anything It's his last dying wish. He doesn't he's about to die. He knows he's about to go to jail for the rest of his life probably So's the last thing he asks because he's aware of what's going to happen because it's happened to him Whereas Avery in a way he's been shaped by his father as well, Not necessarily the sins of his father, but the actions of his father, the expectations of his father You know, his father didn't want him to be a cop, his father just wanted to be a lawyer and maybe be obviously DA be a politician He eventually succumbs to that. So in a way, he's shaped by the decisions that his father and the expectations his father put on him mayaybe the becausecause of his father, it made him Afraid not to. speak up about the corruption at first and to be a part of it Who knows, but I think Luke is someone who's very aware of What? The absence or the sins of your Father can do to you as a son Yeah, in terms of the corruption, I think that part of it is a fear where it's toong go along to get along And's a good point isn't want to be his father. Yeah. And When he learns about the corruption, it's subtle at first But then it becomes a more serious, more especially when they When Deluke asks him to takeake some stuff out of the evence out of the evidence closet and to go to go go along to get along. Um, I think he's guilt of the crime you committed It kind of fuels him to like, okay, let me just I don't want any eyes on me for what I did Um And maybe he feels corrupt himself to go along with it at first But then he tries to get out of it and tries to stop it and then leadeading to I mean One of my favorite scenes and we talked about Godfather, but you know, this is the closest thing I've seen the Goodfellas with Karen and Jimmy the dress is in the back Go on go back, when he t curls his hand? Yeah. Right there. Yeah right back there. goodood And Karen's terrified There are a couple wise guys back there about the fucking killer And there's a similar sequence here when Deeluca Mysteriously just, you know, at the car, he's like, follow me. Well, it's not mysterious because this is right after Avery brings the money to chief. Yeah. and the chief, he sees the chief talking to their and it looks like, all, their buddy buddy about this is everybody in on it. Yeah. And Duas tells him to follow him got to show you something And they You know,s it's fine to driving through the city, but then We keep seeing more driving, certainly they're in a wooded area. going down this road and And Deuca takes a turn onto this dirt road dirt path through these dense woods And Avery's like, fuck, what the fuck's going on holes in there for but they stops You're like, Tu are a couple of other guys waiting for him about to take them out becauseuse he's not going to go along with them anymore And then he just pulls that little gun and then reverses out of there and drives away. That it's such a great moment in the film where You felt so much tension and fear And it's what and then Avery goes to Bruce Greenwood. I'll tell you everything. Um, But You're to make me asssistant DA I can't fucking do that when I walk, I go to the gazette. Yeah. So he's He's smart. Ambition. He's just like his father Yeah that way. is't You don't become a judge by not being ambition. And I love this is where another scene where him him and Bruce have so much great tension in all their scenes, the conflict. Nothing's easy with them And they bounce off each other so I love the scenes that Bradley and Bruce have together Um, because Bruce is a hard ass But also Avery's really smart. too smart for his own good, maybe. And I think Bradley Like you said, Ryan gets the majority of the attention for this movie because it is a rock star performance and role in character Bradley's equally as good as as Avery Cross and where Luke is violent. And Impulsive Avery's anxious. calculated You know, Luke's not the smartest guy in the world He makes bad decisions Obviously, you know, you can assume his past has shaped him just like we talked about earlier But Avery is an educated guy He decided to leave law school and become an officer. he's a rookie cop comomes a hero His father's trying to push him into politics. But The exxioty faces on the force with the corruption as well as the guilt of what he's done are his biggest character flaws and equally motivate just as interesting of a character as Luke Clinton is. And I think that Bradley's terrific in this movie. He really is. He also on a great run at this time too. Yeah. place beyond the Pines Silver Lank's playlaybook, American Hustle. Great five years. He really was and he almost turned the rollle down. Really? He was signed on. And then Bradley afterfter the script got rewritten a couple of times overver the course of just a few weeks. He's like, I'm done, I don't want to do the movie anymore. I just read the newest edition and I don't want to be in the film anymore And so Derk and Frs He revealed all this And he basically says, I remember He had to go to wherever Bradley lived at the time He says Like I'm not going to do this. And he stayed up with them all night. Talk to him until three o'clock in the morning to get him back on the project And because he said he didn't want to make the movie without Bradley. He said Bradley was one of the biggest keys to the film working and his performance. he knew it would be great. And so to quote him is we were talking from midnight to three thirty in the morning where I got him back on it It was only in the last five minutes he was convinced. I think he just got tired and wanted to go to bed. He gave in. 'cause they were about to film San Francis moving his family up to Sonnectucky, like that to shoot the movie. And Bradley's like, I can't do it because they were changing the script so much soickly. I don't think Bradley was into it But eventually he stayed on And I think it was the right thing to do because he's soort sensational in this movie. Yeah, he really is great It's a very layered performance. Yeah, it's just contrast so much with the How colorful goslings is In a way, it's more It's just visually So unique. U not to say Brley's not you know, rocking some windbreakers in this because he sure shit is. thoseose windbreakers love them I think he's really fantastic and to see the because you don't get see it with Luke, but you see The change in avery from one chapter to the from second chapter to the third chapter and how the design of the character They clearly filmed the third chapter first because he's got the longer hair U and its hair short in second chapter, like the Beat cop short hair U But he did a great job showing how different the character had evolved over that fifteen year period I still look at it as one of Bradley's best roles for sure in his career It's great I agree. Shall we talk about some Bank robberies. onene more thing I want to want saving it. I still want to connect. fathers and the sons with the visual storytelling Um Luke and Jason in addition to Riding the motorcycle, riding the bike The ice creream scene. The violence, blue eyes, blonde hair, all these things that we've been talking about. visually Jason doesn't have tattoos like his father. But What's he wear He wears a lot of patches on his clothing, a lot of patches on his jackets. He also wears a backpack like his dad does when Robs makes So in a way, the tattoos are reflection of Luke's I mean, the patches are a reflection of Luke's tattoos, which is really interesting. Also lots of other shots that are married Inside the trailer Luke lives inside the trailer on Robin's property at his autoby shot. And then when Jason discovers the name of his father he starts to learn about him, he goes to visit Robin steps inside the trailer too, another visual kind of mirrrored shot similar angle. They both just like standanding in the doorway of the trailer Beautiful sunglasses, sunglasses, the green sunglasses. Exactly. It's a great connection because The final robbery that Luke does, which where everything goes wrong. First thing he not is outside of having a shitty bike that he had to buy because Robin destroyed his bike I sunglasses Yeah. What happened? You forgot sunglasses left them in the trailer, which Robin gives to his son later in the film Yeah which is really great Um Prison. They both get arrested. They both get put behind bars and both profile both have a profile shot of them being locked behind the bars So I think that the filmmakers didid an incredible job linking specifically Linkn J Luke and Jason with behavior, aesthetic and visual shots. And then with Avery, his reactions to when Jason and AJ are taken into custody He lets Jason off He's like get him out of But then he treats his son like a fucking criminal basasically like interrogates him. Not really. It's not really an interrogation. All he does is says leave that kid alone. Yeah. He says Yeah, He's a spoiled brrat. Yeah. says, you do whatever the fuck you want Do anything Don' don't that k. Stay the fuck away from that kid. You can do anything you want. You can have anything you want. But that piques AJ's interest And then AJ starts pushing. Yeah. That's when it like sets AJ off because it's despite his dad. Exactly because he knows hanging out with this kid will get attention from for him from his dad. Yeah s great point now All right let's talk about some bank robberies.. F first opening seed. opening wner Awesome But I remember this movie, it has such a great trailer Such a great trailer. It was emotional. It was action, it was cool Great imagery. Um So this I remember this is a movie. I didn't know what to fucking expect walking into it. Like what is this movie? And then it opens with this brilliant wner Um Close up of Luke playling with the knife We see the tattoos, shirtless. Is's in a trailer We hear carnival stuff in the background. We don't exactly where we are. And then he's puts on his shirt Introducing Taco Bell's new jalapeno citrus salsa with bright citrus, real red jalapenos, Gailo chiles. Usually, you add sauce to the food, but when the sauce is this good, the food is just there to get the sauce to your mouth. That rolled quesadilla, not a rolled quesadilla anymore Now it's a sauce shovel Taco Bell'salapeeno citrus salsa, Get it with any item on the cananttina chicken menu. while it's here. partarticipate in U.S Taco Bell locations for a limited time only while supplies last, contact store for availability. This episode is brought to you by Google Chrome. You think you know a browser, but Gemini and Chrome, that's new. It can help you with practically anything on the web, like restoring a vintage motorcycle from a fifty page restoration block, or finally break down that long article you've had open for weeks. Gemini and Chrome is here for it. Ready to make anything online makes sense? There's no place like Chrome. Check responssees setup required compatibility and availability varies eighteen plus If we knew more about our sleep, What would we do differently? Would we go to bed at a consistent time or take steps to reduce interruptions to our sleep with Sleep sccore Apple Watch measures your bedtime consistency, interruptions, and sleep duration And then, every morning it combines these factors into an easy to understand score, from one to one hundred So you'll know how to take the quality of your sleep from okay to very high Know your sleep score withith Apple Watch iPhone eleven or later required. steps out of the trailer, walks through the carnival, following shot. This is awesome Do doesnn't cut gets onto his motorcycle, two other motorcycle riders the show's about to go on. you're like, what are they gonna to do They all ride into that metal orb They start riding their motorcycles inside the orb And it's just like, holy shit, it's crazy. It was done for real Those real riders And there's a Texas switch though. Yeah, ye not Ryan. They the camera pans away and that's when the rider switches to a real I mean, gosling became a great motorcycle rider for this movie, but that's a lot of motorcycle ss. This is a different kind of thing though. You need you need to know what you're doing for this just for safety U And and then as the guys are inside the orbs spinning like riding around, the camera slowly backtracks to reveal and it was just like It was such a showstopping sequence to open this film with. It was incredible Three riders. Yeah Triptic story. now Chant France is kind of giving you a representation of what you're about to see in this film of three storylines all connected. riding like hell together, circling around each other. is really interesting. All in the same orbit a planet. No, I love the opening shot and they shot this at a real carnival That was really operating with real people and real employees. And what they had to do was a bunch of the crew members w behind camera wore like these big cat and the hat hats and were just distracting people to not look at the camera. so they were like away from the shot and away from Ryan. becausecause obviously people be like, Ohh my God. Ryan A awesome? Beuse he comes out of the trailer shirt. Yeah, and then puts on a shirt and then puts on his jacket Um And so they had to fudge it, but no it came out great. Yeah, San Francez, especially with Blue Valentine and this he's he's such a So adamant about realism in and capturing things on camera that were true to life And you feel it in both of those movies in particular. Blue Valentine, esci But this one too Yeah, and it's yeah, there's a couple of really great wonders. That's the longest one, I think the most memorable one, but overall, it's not A lot of shots in this movie. you know, a lot of really simple setups Not a ton of cuts like we are so used to these days. and I think the cinematography is just fantasticakes time. It really is and a lot of use of natural light, a lot of use of street lights uh of Ambient lighting sunlight like It's a very simply shot film, but it looks stunning and I like the erric behavor of the camera at times too as well, especially when and Luke's writing, you know, sometimes it's very patient and peaceful and the music really adds so much to this sort of fairy tale quality as well as this outlaw feel. The music bounces around as much as the story structure does. Very strong images though, even though it's simple like this before he robbs the bank when he stops the stop lightight at night in the in the middle of the town center, He's the only one on the road and then you got that's like this great like guitar riff He's looking at the bank and it's just like that red light and I'm just like, this is it's such a great shot. It's incredible and the story is really great I think the story is really what shines though. The characters are great, but the story is so, so well done Um, I love the realistic nature of Romina and her relationship with both the men in her life You know, she feels like an authentic real human being She's not sugar coated She's going through a lot. Yeah. She's a tragic character throughroughout every instance of the story, she's a tragic character. Av evera goes through the ringer in this movie. She really has no moments of brevity whichich is true with a lot of people. A lot of people live really tough lives. and I think a lot of movies tryry to make it seem like everyone at something like everything gets figured out or, you know, no one goes through too much hardship. We're all like we're all happy people. There's a lot of tough lives out there that people are living in A lot of it, you know, You know, Ramina's made mistakes as well in her life You know, it takes two people to tango to make a baby the same time things happen. but She's doing the best she can. She's The makeup in aging on her is excellent. movie, especially when they put the graze in her hair And she really feels like someone who ages more than anyone else in the film. when ag when Avery ages, he looks better than everone. he's a politician older, but Romina, they did a great job showing the stress The tragedy, the trauma, the depression. in her life and and the toll it's taken on her and I think she's such a great character throughout the entire runtime of this movie because She's someone where she's just doing her best And she can't catch a fucking break She loves her kids But also it's tough life. It's a tough life. you know, she's got her son Jason. after the tragedy of Luke's death, which even though, She told Luke to never come near her again. and even though gets arrested Assaltts Kofee when he dies I think it was so brilliant to not capture several scenes of Romina's reaction and what happened. We see three seconds of her on the newscast screaming and crying att the crime scene That's all you need to see. We don't need four scenes of her and cooffee like dealing with the aftermath of Luke's death pllenty And I think it is really powerful for the character growth. Um But she's someone who You know, she she definitely loves Luke. You can tell she loves Luke You can tell that opening scene when she comes to see him. it's in her eyes. It's in her face. like Do I tell him? I don't know if I can. I love them, but I can't I mean, can you blame her though because he he's he's just he goes where their work is. He goes where wherever the carnival goes. It's also he's an outlaw. Hes he's just floating. Yeah. he's like he's he's just a traveler and she knows there's no future with. Yeah. but also like There was no way for her to ever contact him. he was always gone. And he never called her So like, well, I mean, I think they probably knew each other's number. So she could have called him, but I think that Because he never called, she knew that that's all he would ever be in empty space in her life. Yeah He was just there was no way for him to settle down. I think a future. I think that even though he wants to be a father to Jason And it seems like he wants to have a family unit I don't think it will I don't think it would ever work for him and who he is. Yeah. I feel like even as a father, he would have been gone. It probably I don't know if he would have been gone, but it would have been inevitable where he would have fucked it up. He was self destructed. Got to fuck it up some way because that's just who he is. That's how he's been shaped his whole life. His actions as well as the repercussions of the father' actions. And I think Romino is in love with She's in love with him, but realizes that Kofi is the better choice. for a family stability. Yeah You know, he's a stable he's a stable choice I'm sure she yeah loves Kofi as well, but she clearly loves Luke, especially after his death. That's what that shot shows me When I see her on the news station screaming and crying. Yeah And also when Avery tries to give her the money, she says You fucked up my son's life, there therefore you fucked up my life You know, she really cared for Luke, even though he was a bad guy. I think she knew that there was a there's a good person in there somewhere. He's just so fucked up. Yeah. It took him a while to really admit it to himself, I think to show that He can't really be a father He goes to the diner wants to leave money Bucks. That's what he's got to give her. twelve fucking dollars. That's all he has He can't be a father Th then what's he do Y Rsome v Rob what's cool is Rob Robin Rob know I think that's that's funny. Yeah. I love when him and Robin link up Reynolds. I mean Gosling and Mendelson are so great together this really charming misfit kind of dynamic they have. They're both like misfits in the world which is why they I think they have such a great strong connection And seeing how he rides is what attracts Robin to to Luke, seeing how he rides in the woods and you know, really just riding like lightning and them working together collaborating tinging together the bike and setting up the plan It's a genius plan It's based on real Rober too. It's such a good plan one two punch of Luke. rushing into the bank Motorcycle, going to the bank, helmet on, glasses covered Money the bag He there. ' out You're my dog. go fetch. G fetch budy That first one, it's so it's I think it's a winner first one I think is a wner believe is the second one is. The second one' not. there's editing in that one. but you really feel You feel the urgency, you feel the time crunch, you feel the desperation. Um and csling He's so good at like he taps into like you feel it in his voice that His adrenaline is really going and that his heart's racing and the screeching of his voice, that's him just feeling all the emotions that that something like that would put someone into How would biologically affect them and You feel that in his voice and in his movements And then it's so great because and you see how fast responses Like armored response, police response to something like this is so immediate because then he dri he gets the money he drives off He's fucking cruising down that I love when it cuts to the revving of the end Yeah He been bombing down cruising and then the cops running his tail. you hear them in the distance And then he fucking screeches, hits the brake, screeches to a halt, turns over to a side road where Robin's waiting with his truck rides into the truck He throws the doors down, put the putushs the ramp up turns the truck around just in time to be able to be taking a natural looking turn onto the road justust as the cops speed by And they they gota away Scott free and then Gssings in the back Pukes from all the adrenaline the nerves, fucking vomous. and he starts barking like a douck. He's just got like all that energy so amped up Oh man, I love that scene. Yeah, and the second robbery goes just as smoothly That's the one where he takes the guy in the collar like a leash. She's getting a little more confident I think and that's why enoying it. And it's an effective scheme And it works so well until Luke fucks it all up when he attacks Kofi Yeah, gets arrested Bailed out by Robin And Robin knows it's done It's over. Yeah And Luke wants to just do it one last time just to like I need like now it's to the point where it's like his only option. Yeah. He's a fucking arrested felon now He's got no future. He already quit his job at the carnival. He needs money. He's pissed He's angry, especially after he discovers the next day when he goes to rob the bank that Robin to try to stop him cuts up his bike in a last ditch effort to prevent him When he wakes him up with a pistol in his mouth mouth Oh my, that's such a crazy scene. You me about because I think Robin He doesn't know how crazy you can be because I feel like Luke's a character that had an even more he's never robbed a bank before he's clearly done some bad stuff. He's clearly been arrested before and he might be someone who's tam tamed up a little bit because he's a little older, like in his late twenties, early thirties Yeah. Maybe he's even a little more wild in the past It seems like a character like when it gets turned on, he goes into the psycho mode when you he attacks Kofi Yeah with the fucking wrench Um But I do respect the fact that after he does attack Kofi, he doesn't try to run away. He accepts the punishment of getting resty in one of the most tragic moments in the film is after he strikes Kofi. baby's crying. everyveryone's freaking out Baby's crying and he picks up the baby while Rome is tending to Kofi and the grandmother the Vueela is trying to stop him from taking the baby from her. takes the baby Jason immediately settles down stops crying And it's really the most tender moment he'll ever have With his son, the only tender moment he'll ever have with his son The camer just follows him going downstairs The first time I saw him I'm like, Ohh my goy is's gonna to steal the baby He's gonna to kill. Yeah does too, Yeah. But he just sits down on the porch has a tender moment, the last moments he'll probably ever have with his son and he knows it And he accepts his fate of being arrested And it's so tragic because it shows you like could be something there. like he could be Not a stable father, but he could be a father to him in a way And clearly The fact that the baby quiets immediately is shows that there is a connection already. There's a immediate connection to the father and son. which will never be experienced again. And it's such a sad scene. And this is a movie on rewatches. you just pick up on so many things like that it hits you so hard. And it's also like, I mean, you think that Teenage Jason, maybe he's just he's always felt that absence ight Yeah. always he's he's been searching for a connection to a father that he's you never had a kofe. Yeah that absence is present in his life, which is why he turns to, you know, he likes to smoke weed and he's an outcast and Mike falls down that his own dark spiral And sad, but then it leads to the the third robbery which everything goes wrong where he does it solo. He has to buy a cheap bike with the bail money. He didn't scope out the bank He went in blind basically canan't cover his eyes. The tall glass Yeah the bank teller windows. Oh my God. that was wrong When it gets stuck when that woman throws the bag up and it getsuck up the top, he's like He's like fucking a! so desperate, so bad. And you hear that tire But this time you hear the sirens coming sooner while he's still in the bank. Yeah. where last time you heard the faint sirens as he's he was leaving the parking lot already on the go But now you hear them, oh, shit. And then he barely gets out of the parking lot because the cops screech into the parking lot and he barely weaves around them. It's an incredible chase too. throughrough the streets, a lot of cars actually hiting Gs thing I believe did a ton of the motorcycle stunts as well Um then through the cemetery with the flat tire, Cemetery' chas is great. And then any hewaysays in the neighborhood who's the cop that spots him Averyvery Cross. Yeah. And I love the way that he he filmed these sequences of It's not showy driving sequences. They're not like big stunts A lot of what you see is photographed from like a static camera inside the vehicles It's like you see the dash, you see the windows. So you're seeing like and he straps he stps they strap the camera to the car. so it feels like you're a passenger in the vehicle. At first you don't know it's Brady Cooper. Yeah. Like you went into this movie blind for like the first several shots of the car that spots, it's like who is that? It's like he turns a little bit and then he speaks into his radio., Oh my Godd, it's Bradley.'re like, wait a second. It's Brady Cooper It was great. It was just It really put you into the seat of the c of the cops chasing down a criminal and Um Leaning to the foot chase Going to that home terror like scaring the mother and son And then going upstairs and Bradley does a great job of portraying that fear of, you know He's got his gun at the race. He's looking for this criminal, but he's like fucking terrified for his life. And also here wait for backup. Yeah, he doesn't wait for backup. He decides to go in There's that bit of that reckless ambition that he has. That's it. That's that's the o that's the sins of the father. Yeah. The ambition. this is what that's why he goes in the house solo. Yeah. I think that he might as a beat cop might have a chip on his shoulder from his dad to prove everybody that he's he can make something of himself, which is why he decides to not go in and wait for backup and decides to go in on his own solo Um So I mean it's a great sequence of how fast these moments can be in real life. We see so many movies where it's like, shoot out getting cover and These shootouts they can take five minutes sometimes, but this movie showed how fast these moments happen in real life It's faster than you can think It's more a reaction. Th these moments happen It's more like gut reactions people are having Bradley's not a bad guy. But he's fueled by fear and desperation which is why once he sees the guy once he sees Lu he shoots in the of experience to like like the adrenalinees going. he's filled with fear. It's almost out of like he's trying to protect himself even though he had no right to fire It shows how easily that that moment can happen. somethingomething like that could happen. Yeah. And his story is really good. the second act story of Avery in his story also seen Luke dead on the ground. It's shocking it makes your stomach drop. The first time I saw this movie in gosling dies after an hour and twenty minute runtime I was shocked. I was devastated. I was fucking pissed I thought I was like is he alive? I can't believe. It was It was just as tragic as the departed. Yeah when Costigan gets it at the end of the movie, but that's at the end ish This is halfway through the runtime really And Gosling, the star, the rock star of the film is gone like that It's so brave to do And they pull it off so well It's so shocking Um, But every story is great gets wounded And He's a character who is a rookie cop He's now a hero But he did something terribly wrong And he's carrying the guilt of I've done this wrong, but everyone thinks I'm a hero. Everyone thinks I did the right thing And he never, ever confesses this ever H whole life Well until the end of the movie. He never brings it up again. He does admit to the corruption when that starts happening. And like you said, he succumbs to it because He wants to get out of the house But also like to get a round of applause when he goes when he comes back to work You know, he's like the bell the ball Yeah, true, but it's a great team because he he' in the precinct. Everyone's cheairing front him busting his balls being hilarious and he gets in the elevator and his face drop. Yeah because he's being celebrated for committing a crime. He knows what he did was wrong, but he's like a hero for it. And he's about to corate the results of of the investigation of internal affairs and the attorney. obviously gets off off the hook. Yeah. H ambition gets the better of him in a lot of ways, but for the for the good of the of the community and the good for the police force because he starts to once he starts getting embroled in corruption, He does the right thing and starts to work for I internal affairs and the district attorney and go after the cops. Yeah U So it's a really interesting performance because he has this guilt But also It's undeserving, the hero, the worship The praise, the awards, the medals He's getting all these great things which shows that he's such a good politician Be what do politicians do? they all lie arning for themselves. They're all full of shit. Yeah. They know how to work a crowd. Yeah. he's happy to destroy everyone around him for him to find success and power And yes, he's destroying criminals around him. he's bring criminals to justice he's also doing it in a way to get gains for himself to become District attorney j junior District attorney assant assistant attorney general. Um which as a rookie cop, whichich is crazy. Yeah yeah, he's got a lot degree, but still He takes advantage of a situation. He takes advantage of a tragedy. He takes advantage of criminality. muchuch like politicians do. you never let U controversy go to waste. You always use it to your advantage. Yeah. And you see it in this illusion of his marriage where obviously Jennifer It was bound there's no way they could stay together because he lives a life of lives and manipulation. and really only But hes just focuses it on himself And I'm sure not just with obviously with J AJ, but even as a husband He's really just solely focused on himself and focus it on the interior turmoil he feels and grief And one of the strongest scenes in the film is in his story when him and the other cops go to Romina's house to get the money And the guilty feels and he doesn't even know exactly why they're there. shhame on his And he's like I hope he's like you don't even want Romina to see him to recognize him he says sorry for your los word. she can't even she's like Oh my god, it's him. It's such a great scene. and disturb me because the cops are like They know the money iss illegal. So like they they don't feel guilty taking it, but also You know, that family needs that money You know, they they could have really used that money and to hide the money The irony to hide it under the bed inside the crib of Jason's Crib is just also just a great narrative point And having Avery pick up Jason Yeah as a baby. Yeah picking up Jason as a baby on rewatches on this movie, it's just So wonderful to see these great H IQ motifs throughroughout the film that connect all of these char these four characters. Yeah. Is it James Batchgedale? out a mustache Maybe I think so. mayaybe Yeah. Um, But the corruption sequence is great You know, once he finally starts to go after them, but again using it to rise up himself It's It's a really good play. R' great in this movie. R. He's so good in this movie. I think this is his best performance in his latter career Um, because he's charming and he's cool and he's a he's he's seem he's like a a tough guy he's corrupt, but he's not three he's not two dimensional. there's a three dimensionality to him Dinner they have when the guys come in and And they have that that tse dinner with Jen Jennifer and Avery Rayona played it perfectly. He was so well cast in this He's such a ballbuster. Yeah, yeah. Does your wife tuck it in when you go to bed Tuck it back And then we have the and what I love about the story is is the way the time jumps happen And after Avery's time jump to the Sun story It's the funeral of his father And We don't have this big scene of context or exposition of the divorce that's happened They don't, they're separated. Yeah. It's just get quickly. Yeah. You get it so quickly Um And Avery's in the car. He probably asked his mom AJ. Yeah. AJ asked his mom, Jenifer to bring it up to Avery because JJ says, Yeah, AJ iss just like hiding in the car becauseuse you can't you can you can tell like Avery's become such an estrangeed kind of father that AJ can't even him about anything. Yeah. she says it's all nonstop asking me to come live with you. Yeah. And AJ AJ's a really good character too because Again, both him and Jason have been created by the actions and sins of their fathers. AJ drrug has grown up in wealth and privilege. He's had everything he's ever wanted. ready talks like a fucking gangster acts like one He's no good He's probably been kicked out of different expensive schools Moving up to Skinectski with his dad. li with his dad in a beautiful home. herero cop of of this of Sinect Skinectic Sectect Snect Secty Secty New York is all a front all up front and this is shown so well multiple times When they get arrested he spots Jason imediately like I knew you were a stone. You were one of the lonest stoners. You sitting in your room and you smoke and you draw and shit U, when they get arrested He acts like a Bitch insside the interrogation room when his dad comes in there H dad verbally and physically abusing him. A very scary. A It looks like a scary dad, but AJ He crumbles when he's met with something dangerous, especially like his father U But when he's at school the next day acts like a tough guy like, oh, that was no big deal. I wasn't gonna to let them keep me in there and interrogate me. likeike's no big deal at all. He's such a tough guy routine Um is all front It's because he's got he's hurting so much. starting so much inside. And I think going back to the pool scene where Avery' at the table with his pololitical advisers talking about the campaign there. He's about to go on AJ walks up to the pool, takes a shirt off. Takes your shirt off He doesn't jump in the pool yet but he just stares at his dad. dad stares back at him I think this is an important shot because I think what it shows is Avery for the first time is realizing My son is turning into a man My son's a man now And I think his son, I think AJ iss trying to show that to his dad as well Like, I'm grown up It's an interesting shot because they linger on it and they linger on the looks of each other of what they're both giving they're talking to Avery, but he's not listening. But like he's like looking at Avery like seeing him for the first time in a way likeike kind of interested or intrigued with like, oh, he's I't realized how grown up he is at this point And in a way, maybe' like AJ's like basically like you It's a way to show like you've missed out on everything that you're just realizing that I've grown up. But I've been growing up this whole time, you just haven't noticed. I'm not a kid anymore. Exactly. I think that's what's happening between those two characters. I also think that, you know, San Francis is such an authentic filmmaker. I remember the party scene as being like, that was like the most realistic looking te party I'd ever seen in a movie. It was really good. It was it was so opposite the cliche Hollywood parties that we see in all the other teen movies. I was like, this is what a house party really is like. It was so realistic A Jason's An extremely interesting character too and D D handan superb in this for breakout for him. This kid who really just like Luke He can't find his identity. He doesn't know who he is And that can happen to a lot of people, especially sons and young boys when they don't have a father figure in their life. They don't really know who they are They're trying to find that thr at different things and they lean to the same things. They lean to drugs, they lean to alcohol Billions to violence criminality because it's kind of what connects them together and one of the craziest parts of the movie is when I lo loveved it. Well, first of all I think the reveal that Jason is Luke's son is a great reveal. because obviously it's not spelled out, but like you can kind of tell. If you if you're paying attention, the hair, the eyes, the bicycle, it's all there For when they finally tell you in the story, it's like, oh my God, of course, it was there the whole time But what Jason discovers, that Avery is AJ's dad. Yeah. when he's fucked up with the girl going up the stairs sees the photo, which is the exact photo in the newspaper that he discovered that is that Robin gave him,'s the same photo of his police rookie photo U It's so shocking to him and it's shocking to the audience for to see Jason experience that because you know it But you're waiting for it to happen And that's and then he confronts AJ and they have that little tussle and AJ iss like what the fuck are you on about? because he doesn't know that was at a tussle. Yeah, he doesn't know that his dad killed his dad. It's great that both neither son knows. and then AJ fucks him up. Yeah. AJ beats the fuck out of him. AndJ even though he's a he's a tough guy routine, he still he's backs it up. Jason's gry guy. he's skinny.'s not He has not a tough bone in his body really? Of course, Avery no consequences for his actions, which is a great theme throughout the film of classism and privilege Jason wakes up. who knows how long he's been unconscious in a hospital bed And H mother is by his side and he's such a tragic character, B all of them What's he say to his mother You're a liar calls his mother a liar And then His mother still loves him Waits for he's waiting for outside the hospital he disappears, goes and gets a gun He wants payback. goes to AJ's house and Avery's house We don't know what happens at first because He just holds AJ up at gunpoint. and shoots the ground I'm assuming he shot his foot maybe if not anything Um and then Avery walks in the door too. he take and this is such a powerful climax. this incredible third act where he takes Avery hostage. And it's the first time Avery shows like real love and extreme concern for his son ever Um Asking him what he's done with his son And he takes Avery to the woods similar to how this is the second time this has happened Avery been taken in the woods to potially kill happened with the Lucar fifteen years earlier. Um And it's so tragic because For the first time, Avery Kin apologize T Jason and release his guilt stays carried with him for so long. And he knows who Jason is A s, sorry, Jason. so sorry and sorry about what he's done to him basically U, in this relief Release of guilt caauses Jason to lower the gun Just take his wall and run away And he discovers the photo. It's so emotional. Yeah I look at this ending as Averne AJ will U work on their relationship and their relationship will improve because of this because not only did Avery get his guilt out, but he he realized how much he loved his son that he never realized how much he loves his son tntil he thought he was in danger. Yeah So then he's like, o, my God, do you love my child. And I think that's shown at his speech when when they Yeah, he's smiling. his eyes on the stage. AJ's happy to be there. I think AJ's He also gone through that they both just had a near life near death experience. Yeah. bothoth held at gunpoint. both now may be grateful for their lives and maybe they can work on a relationship. Yeah, one hundred percent you know I was just think poor Romina in this film. Yeah, she goes through the ringer. But I love the ending of this movie. Yeah. I love, love, love. The music where AJ, I mean, Jason He's on his own We pick up up north somewhere, like somewhere in like Wyoming or something and H u makes it to this farm. And he buys a motorcycle off the sky. It's really powerful because this is the strongest connection he can have to his father because he's learned his dad's a great motorcycle rider And he gets a bike, I think, to try to connect with his father And the guy's like, Hey, careful, you never have ever done this before? No. He's like, well, he's the old guy' like worried that he might that's what's what what he says is AJ gives them the five, I mean three hundred bucks, whatever it is. and gets on the bike and the guy goes You ever been on one of those before doesn't I mean, Jason doesn't even reply. He just drives away Beautiful shot of him riding the distance. Yeah. This is so powerful because What's happened is Jason Hasn't fully done it, but you can tell he's trying to break the cycle He's trying to break this cycle of violence and the cycle of The sins of your father being dumped on top of you and you fall in the same path where He could have killed Avery killed AJ but he doesn't. He could have stolen that bike because it's all the bike Um He goes off on his own And It's on a path of self discovery clearly And it's open ended what's going to happen. But I think what's shown is he's ending the cycle of the legacy of the actions of your father. defefining you and becoming your own person I think that Avery will be a better DA than he would have been And overall, even though it's a tragic film, It doesn't have a happy ending per se I think it has a positive outlook for everybody m that's still around In a way, you know, still Romina, I think is is still the most tragic character in a lot ofays. She does open the envelope from Jason it the photo. I think that's It's such a sweet moment. and it's so powerful. That moment wrecks me every time gives me goosebones just thinking about it. U But Re, she goes to the ringer in this film. she really does But shes got another kid? Yeah, they have another kid. And I'm sure Jason will find his way home at some. I think he'll when he returns, he'll be Um He'll be much better son and and more open to the being a member of the family. Yeah. Oh, this is a great mov, guys. This is a great film I love them so much. It's the best Because Chance now.sance. I think