In the early 1900s, Peter Lake is a thief living in New York City. His parents, immigrants denied entry into the country, floated him to America in a model boat. Upon arriving, he was brought up as a protege of the gangster Pearly Soames, but when he scorns working for Soames, he becomes a man on the run. Unbeknownst to Peter, Soames is working for The Judge, a mysterious ruler of the underworld, who dispatches his flunkies to help stop "miracles" from happening. Every person in the world is born with one miracle they are destined to make reality; the more miracles occur, the weaker the underworld figures become. Peter Lake is rescued from Soames by a magical white horse, who Soames describes as Lake's guardian. The horse takes Peter to the home of Beverly Penn, a beautiful young wealthy woman dying of consumption. Soames believes that Peter's miracle is for Beverly, to somehow save her from her imminent death. Peter hides away with Beverly at a safe place, and they fall deeply in love. However, when Beverly finally dies, Soames thinks he has stopped Peter's miracle and he tosses him from the Brooklyn Bridge. Flash forward to 2014, where Peter Lake is, inexplicably, still alive, still haunted by the image of Beverly, but he is plagued by amnesia. Soames realizes that Peter's miracle wasn't meant for Beverly-- hers was meant for him. Peter sets out to find out who he is and who his miracle is meant for, with Soames hot on his trail.
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Best part of story, including ending:
It's a bizarre fantasy film, but it's executed with such earnest tone that I found myself surprisingly charmed by it. The romance is warm and the fantasy is intriguing.
Best scene in story:
Soames goes to visit The Judge, who is played, surprisingly, by Will Smith. Watching Crowe and Smith face off in such a manner is really a joy to behold.
Opinion about the main character:
Peter means well, and once he gets to modern times, his search to remember who he was is extremely sympathetic. Plus, Farrell is a strong leading man.