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Avery Cross Biography & Facts

The Place Beyond the Pines is a 2012 American epic crime drama film directed by Derek Cianfrance with a screenplay by Cianfrance, Ben Coccio and Darius Marder from a story by Cianfrance and Coccio. The film tells three linear stories: Luke (Ryan Gosling), a motorcycle stunt rider who supports his family through a life of crime; Avery (Bradley Cooper), an ambitious policeman who confronts his corrupt police department; and two troubled teenagers (Emory Cohen and Dane DeHaan) who explore the aftermath of Luke and Avery's actions fifteen years later. The supporting cast includes Eva Mendes, with Ben Mendelsohn, Rose Byrne, Mahershala Ali, Bruce Greenwood, Harris Yulin, and Ray Liotta. Cianfrance was inspired to write The Place Beyond the Pines based on his experiences as a father. Coccio and Marder, who shared similar interests in film and media, helped write the script. Cianfrance envisioned the main themes to be about fathers and sons, masculine identity and legacy. The film reunites Cianfrance and Gosling, who had previously worked together in 2010's Blue Valentine. The role of Luke was written for Gosling, as he expressed an interest in playing a bank robber. Filming took place in Schenectady, New York, during the summer of 2011. The Place Beyond the Pines premiered at the 2012 Toronto International Film Festival, followed by a United States theatrical release on March 29, 2013. Focus Features purchased the distribution rights after being impressed by the film screening. It received generally positive reviews from critics and was a moderate success at the box office, grossing $47 million worldwide on a budget of $15 million. The soundtrack was composed by Mike Patton and included music by Estonian composer Arvo Pärt and Ennio Morricone. Plot In 1997, Luke Glanton (Ryan Gosling) is a motorcycle stuntman with a traveling carnival. In Schenectady, he meets his ex-lover Romina Gutierrez (Eva Mendes), who is now with another man, Kofi Kancam (Mahershala Ali). Luke discovers that he unknowingly fathered Romina's baby Jason the previous year. He leaves the carnival to stay near mother and son. Luke begins working part-time for auto mechanic Robin Van Der Hook (Ben Mendelsohn). When he asks for more work Robin reveals his past as a bank robber and suggests they commit robberies together. Luke robs the banks at gunpoint and gets away on his motorcycle which he rides into a box truck driven by Robin. Luke and Romina have sex in his trailer and he spends time with her and Jason. He lets himself into Romina and Kofi's house and attempts to assemble a crib for Jason. When Kofi demands he leave Luke strikes him with a wrench and is arrested. Robin bails him out of jail and Luke says he wants to provide for Jason's future. Robin refuses to do any more robberies and the pair fall out. Robin dismantles Luke's motorcycle, so Luke robs Robin and buys a new bike with the money. Luke bungles a bank robbery and is pursued by police on foot. He enters a stranger's home and calls Romina to ask her not to tell Jason about him. Rookie police officer Avery Cross (Bradley Cooper) enters the room and shoots Luke in the stomach. He fires back, hitting Avery in the leg, then falls out of the window to his death. Avery, a married man with a baby son, is hailed as a hero. He is remorseful but tells police investigators that Luke shot first. A group of corrupt officers coerce Avery to join them in seizing the stolen money from Romina's home. Avery later tries to return his cut to Romina, who rejects it. He attempts to hand the money over to the chief of police, who rebuffs him. Avery secretly records other illegal practices in the department and uses the recordings to obtain a position as assistant district attorney. Fifteen years later in 2012, Avery is running for Attorney General of New York. His rebellious, drug-using teenage son A.J. has been living with Avery's ex-wife, Jennifer, but now moves in with his father and transfers to Schenectady High School, befriending the now-teenage Jason. Neither boy knows the history between their fathers. When the teens are arrested for felony drug possession, Avery recognizes Jason's name and gets Jason's charge dropped to a misdemeanor. He orders A.J. to stay away from him. Kofi tells Jason his birth father's name, which allows him to discover Luke's past. Jason visits Robin, who tells him about Luke and their robberies. A.J. pressures Jason to steal OxyContin for a party. At the party, Jason discovers that A.J.'s father, Avery, is the man who killed his father, Luke. Jason is hospitalized after a violent confrontation with A.J., and buys a gun when he is released. Jason goes to the Cross family home, assaults A.J., and takes Avery hostage. He forces Avery to drive into the woods where Avery breaks down and apologizes. Jason leaves him unharmed but takes his wallet. Inside it, Jason finds a photo of himself with his parents, which Avery had stolen from the evidence locker. Some time later, Avery becomes New York attorney general and celebrates with A.J. at his side. Romina receives an envelope addressed to "Mom", with the old photograph inside. Jason buys a motorcycle and rides away. Cast Production Development Cianfrance's inspiration for the story first started when he saw Abel Gance's 1927 silent film Napoleon, which uses a triptych (three-screen) technique to play out multiple stories at once. In 2007, the birth of Cianfrance's second son reignited the idea, and he started to think about being a father again and the responsibilities involved. "That got me to thinking about the fire I felt inside me, which had been with me for as long as I could remember. It helped me to do many things. But it was also, many times, a destructive and painful force", he said. He stated it was important for him, as an artist, to do something personal and challenging. He also read the works of Jack London, including the novel The Call of the Wild, and became intrigued with the idea of legacy and what our ancestors had to do for survival. Shortly, Cianfrance met Ben Coccio, who shared a similar interest of books and films, and they began writing the screenplay. The third screenwriter, Darius Marder, joined the project four months before principal photography began.Meanwhile, Cianfrance was still working on the film Blue Valentine (2010), which stars Ryan Gosling. In 2007, Gosling told him about a fantasy which involved "robbing a bank, on a motorcycle, and then making a very specific getaway." Cianfrance told Gosling, "You've got to be kidding me, I'm writing that movie right now." The pair shared numerous identical ideas, and knew that The Place Beyond the Pines would be an opportunity to work together again. Cianfrance envisioned the story to be about fathers and sons, masculine identity, "reinvention or transformation of the self for a man over a period". He added, "It's about legacy—what we're born with and what we pass on. It's about the choices we make and how th.... Discover the Avery Cross popular books. Find the top 100 most popular Avery Cross books.