“Point Break” (1991) stars Keanu Reaves as an FBI agent who goes undercover to infiltrate a gang of bank-robbing surfers led by Patrick Swayze. That description should pretty much tell you everything you need to know about this movie. “Point Break” is a movie with a premise so ridiculous that it shouldn’t be taken seriously, yet action so good that it makes the premise work. While by no means a cinematic masterpiece or even a movie that requires a lot of thought (the less you think about it, the more you may enjoy it), it is without a doubt a tremendously fun action movie.
As Keanu was still establishing himself as a serious actor and trying to move away from “Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure,” there are some moments that are groan-worthy (any time Keanu does a surfer accent is truly horrendous). However, he manages to hold his own as undercover FBI agent Johnny Utah, bringing the intensity when it really counts.
Likewise, Gary Busey sits comfortably in the role of older, experienced cop Pappas, the opposing force to the reckless enthusiasm of Utah. This buddy cop relationship between Pappas and Utah provides a comfortable familiarity to this action crime movie, yet does not distract from the chemistry between Swayze and Reeves.
Swayze is perfect as the charismatic and spiritual Bodhi. Spouting Zen maxims about the energy of the waves while seeking the ultimate rush, Bodhi leads his group of bank-robbing surfers with a calm, intoxicating magnetism. He also has the perfect surfer hair.
Even though male directors have typically dominated the high adrenaline action genre, Kathryn Bigelow directs confidently. One of the scenes that showcases her directing ability is the iconic foot chase, which Bigelow shot with a handheld camera. Besides being one of the best foot chases ever filmed, the close-up shaky style set the stage for future action classics like the “Bourne” trilogy. Another highlight is the skydiving footage, which remains some of the most realistic and beautiful skydiving footage ever filmed. Fun fact: Patrick Swayze refused to use a stunt double for the skydiving scenes, doing a total of 55 jumps for this film.
All in all, the good outweighs the bad in “Point Break,” though the same cannot be said for the 2015 remake (the ‘90s vibe is part of what makes the sillier scenes work). Though the plot may require some suspension of belief and some of the dialogue is pretty cheesy, this movie remains confidently entertaining. With some hilariously quotable lines (“I AM AN FBI AGENT”) and top-notch action sequences, this is a really fun movie.
