Page One: “The Place Beyond the Pines” (2012)

Screenplay by Derek Cianfrance & Ben Coccio and Darius Marder, story by Derek Cianfrance and Ben Coccio

The movie version of the opening:

No groupie sex. Replaced with Luke’s headless torso as he flips open-and-shut a knife over and over and over again. It’s dangerous. It’s intense. It’s how Luke is prepping for the upcoming stage show.

Why the replacement? Reverse engineering the change: Sex with a groupie suggests a lack of concentration. A potentially bloody exercise with a large knife conveys exactly the opposite. As an introduction to the character, this presents an individual who is used to danger, perhaps even gets a high from engaging in such activities.

Bottom line: A much more dramatic introduction than “animal” sex with some nameless groupie. Compare to the opening of Dallas Buyers Club in which we meet the Protagonist (Ron) engaging in sex with two women.

This introduction serves that story to convey Ron’s devil may care attitude and to set up how he could have contracted AIDS through promiscuous sex.

Download the script to The Place Beyond the Pines here.

FOR EDUCATIONAL PURPOSES ONLY!

Page One is a daily Go Into The Story series featuring the first page of notable movie scripts from the classic era to contemporary times. Comparing them is an excellent way to study a variety of writing styles and see how professional writers start a story.

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