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the opening, dueling stories of Luke and Avery are relatively simple, but done with such craft (cinematography and score especially) that they become more than that. the desperate actions from both men are captivating.
while they inhabited the traditional good vs. evil forms (cop and robber), I don't think morality was the difference between them. Avery's choices were mostly done to satisfy his ambition and ego, not because he was a better person than Luke (who did everything for his son). reporting the scandal let him accelerate his career, divorcing his wife removed the disconnect he had for his own son, and even his shooting of Luke had dubious motivations.
the third "act", however, nearly spends all the goodwill from the preceding 100 minutes. the long-winded point is that both failed as fathers, yet their respective positions in life result in different payoffs: Avery continues his political ascent, criminal son posing at his side, while Jason becomes the same drifter his father was, poised to repeat Luke's mistakes (a literal fall).
unfortunately, you can pinpoint that conclusion from their sons' first meeting, resulting in an arduous journey of coincidences and callbacks. the tenseness and style from the first two-thirds of the movie evaporates, the sons being metaphorical placeholders rather than characters.
like others though, I applaud the ambition. Cianfrance tried to stretch a triple into an inside-the-park home run, but didn't have the legs for it. --------
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