Review of Point Break (1991) by Clintus M — 12 Jul 2011

"You gotta go down, its gotta be that way," thunders FBI agent Johnny Utah (Keanu Reeves) to Patrick Swayze's Bodhi in the climactic scene of Point Break. It's the irresistible force versus the immovable object in Kathryn Bigelow's wild ride of a thriller. It's a thrill a minute, captivating, yet completely preposterous. The movie succeeds despite the ubiquitous "surfer dude" attitude, so suspend disbelief, and come along for the rush. Its all about adrenaline junkies, and I've always loved the adrenaline rush and the sheer lunacy of it all. Here's the plot: surfers dress up as ex-presidents and rob banks to finance their endless summer. Only its not about money; these guys have something to prove to us average working morons on the freeway.

The cast is fantastic. Reeves is a spectacularly bad actor and perfect for this role. Gary Busey is an old burnout of an agent with a crackpot theory. Swayze is the Zen-master surfer/robber. Lori Petty is the sweet yet troubled surfer babe. Red Hot Chili Pepper frontman Anthony Kiedis is somewhat enjoyable as a violent surfer lunatic. The surfing crowd and Utah make Busey look like the sane one, quite an accomplishment for Bigelow.

So, the unlikeliest villain is being pursued by the unlikeliest cop. The existential hero rages against the system, pursued by the ex-football player/virgin surfer, now with the FBI. Its hokey and corny, but you can't take your eyes off it. I'm not sure I can explain how this film works or why I like it so much. Maybe the appeal is living by your own rules and chasing your dream to (literally) the end of the earth. The action sequences are some of the greatest ever, maybe the most memorable being Reeves' Utah leaping out of a plane without a parachute to catch Bodhi and save Tyler (Petty). After all, it is all about the adrenaline.