YMMV / The Place Beyond the Pines

• Jerkass Woobie: Luke, whose erratic behavior is contrasted with his genuine desire to be a better man.
• Moral Event Horizon: Any sympathy for Luke is lost when he strikes Romina's husband Kofi with a wrench, and later putting a gun in Robin's mouth and subjecting him to some fairly sadistic psychological torture.
• Narm: Luke holding up the bank would be way more intimidating if it weren’t for Ryan Gosling’s voice constantly cracking as he’s threatening everyone inside.
  • Narm Charm: Though that's likely meant to be deliberate, as he's a petty criminal out of his element. He throws up after his first robbery and makes a lot of amateur mistakes during his second, solo, robbery that ultimately get him killed.
• The Scrappy: AJ (and Emory Cohen's performance) is despised for his Jerkass behavior and arrogant attitude. Cohen's apparent Marlon Brando impression doesn't help.

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