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nPoint Break (1991)
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nDirector: Kathryn Bigelow
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nCast: Keanu Reeves, Patrick Swayze, Lori Petty, Gary Busey,nJohn C. McGinley, James LeGros
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nAlong with Michael Manns’ Heat (1995), Point Break is one of the greatest heist/action films of the 90’s. I mean, of course there werenexcellent action films like Speed (1994), Terminator 2: Judgment Dayn(1991) and The Last Boy Scout (1991) to mention but a few, but there’s somethingnspecial about Point Break that sets it apart from all other action films fromnthat decade. It has a certain magic to it, it has soul. The upcoming remake made me want to revisitnthe original, to remind myself of its awesomeness, which I doubt the remake,ndirected by a guy called Ericson Core will be able to top. Why did Point Breaknset the bar so high? What exactly made this one such a memorable action film?
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nOn Point Break, we meet Johnny Utah; an ex-quarterbacknturned FBI agent who is trying to gain experience in the field by attempting toncapture a gang of thugs called ‘The Ex-Presidents’. These Ex-Presidents havennever been caught and so, in order to make a name for himself, Johnny Utah takesnit upon himself to bust them. The police suspect that these thugs are a gang ofnlocal surfers , so Special Agent Utah goes undercover and becomes one of them.nProblem is he soon discovers these surfer dudes are actually cool people; whennthe time comes, will he have what it takes to take them down?
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nPoint Break was the film that turned Keanu Reeves into a fullynfledged action star. After this one he did Speed (1994) and voila! From therenon in he became a bonafide action star; he’s never looked back. Still as I typenthis he’s making action films! Before Point Break Keanu was all about lookingndumb and saying “whoa” but after the double whammy of Point Break and Speed, hentransformed into an ass kicking, killing machine. Some of you younger readersnout there might have always known Keanu Reeves as an action star, but for thosenof us who knew him from his Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure (1989) days knownwhat a shock to the system it was to see Keanu change his image that way. Itnwas like a coming of age thing, now he was no longer a stupid teenager, now henwas a “man”.
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nWhat works so well about this movie is its spiritual side,nspearheaded by Patrick Swayze in the role of Bohdi, a surfer/spiritualist who’snan anti-hero of sorts. Sure he and his crew of ‘Ex-Presidents’ rob banks, but Bohdinalso preaches a very positive life philosophy. He wants to truly live his life,nhe doesn’t want to be a drone, he wants to squeeze as much as he can out of life.nHe’s an adrenalin junky, so he steals banks in order to have the money to skydive and surf thenbiggest waves on the planet. His crew doesn’t kill, they get their money andnthey are out. So this is where the conundrum comes in because agent Utahninfiltrates Bodhi’s circle of thugs, and finds them to be for lack of a betternword, awesome. These guys are the kind of guys you want to hang around andnparty with. So does he turn them in or help them? Kathryn Bigelow and crewnreally managed to carve out a crew of ambiguous characters. Are they good or arenthey evil? We’re never really sure, which makes the film that much moreninteresting. Will agent Utah end up becoming one of them?
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nSpeaking of the films spiritual side, Point Break has ancertain magic to it that not a lot of films manage to acquire. Bodhi’s lifenphilosophy doesn’t come off as phony; he’s the real deal, a real human being.nThe surfing side of the film portrays a connection with nature, a fascinationnwith the beauty of it all. There’s this scene that I love, in which Johnny Utahnis learning to surf and his out in the ocean, catching waves as the sun isnsetting and he’s all excited. As the spray of the ocean surf hits him he says “Incan’t describe what I’m feeling” and you believe it when he says it, thenvisuals, the music and the emotions are palpable and believable. The filmnexpertly captures that moment when you feel one with nature, when you connectnwith it and realize that cars, buildings and cement are crap next to the beautynof nature. This is what really makes the film special for me. Kathryn Bigelowndirected this one, showing her trademark panache behind the camera. There’snthis chase sequence that’s just amazing. Utah runs through a bunch of suburbannhouses while chasing one of the Ex Presidents, it’s an awesome scene that wasnshot with her trademark long takes. Awesome stuff. As an action film, it doesnnot disappoint.
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nThere’s a Point Break remake on the horizon, as I write thisnit hasn’t been released yet. But it was directed by a total unknown, starringnequally unknown actors, so I don’t know what to expect from it. How exactly donthey plan on surpassing Bigelow’s film? Will they manage to capture that magic?nI seriously doubt it. Did they cast good actors in the roles? Who knows, butnPatrick Swayze, Keanu, Lori Petty and Gary Busey really bring it on this one.nThey are part of what makes Point Break run without a hitch. So yeah, what wengot here my friends is a great action film, and a great film all around. Checknthis one out for a taste of one of the greatest action/heist flicks of the 90’s.
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nRating: 5 out of 5
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