Point Break (1991)

"If you want the ultimate, you've got to be willing to pay the ultimate price. It's not tragic to die doing what you love."

Looking down a list of Patrick Swayze's filmography what strikes me is how uninteresting it is. He is a household name but is somebody who has never starred in anything that comes close to being brilliant. Saying that I've only ever seen him in two films; Dirty Dancing, a performance for which he has received universal acclaim from women everywhere but it's a performance in which he excels at dancing not particularly acting. The other is Donnie Darko, but then he's not really in that much to form an opinion either. (Yes I've not seen Ghost) Perhaps then his performance in Point Break, in which he features heavily, will prove to me that he is a decent actor and I got the chance to decide after pancreatic cancer got the better of Swayze leading to a flurry of films featuring the late actor, including Point Break, appeared all over British television.

Kathryn Bigelow's 1991 surfing themed action flick stars Swayze as the charismatic Bodhi, the prominent figure amongst a group of surfers but it is Keanu Reeves character, Johnny Utah, who we meet first. Utah is a plucky FBI agent new to the California area who along with his new partner Angelo Pappas (Gary Busey) is investigating a long string of bank robberies in the area by a group calling themselves The Ex-Presidents. Donning rubber masks of former U.S. presidents Ronald Reagan, Richard Nixon, Jimmy Carter and Lyndon B. Johnson (hence the name) the foursome seem to enjoy the thrill of robbing banks with such extravagance and effectiveness making them impossible to catch due to their policy in being in and out in ninety seconds concentrating only on the cash registers rather than the vaults. For The Ex-Presidents greed plays no part in their games.

The group appear to leave no clues behind them but one of them is insistent on mooning the securities cameras which has lead the FBI to believe that the men are surfers due to an obvious tan line on said 'mooner.' They have also acquired a strand of hair which matches chemicals that are present at a popular surfing area. The mission? Send Utah undercover with the surfers.

Utah learns the basics of surfing from Tyler Endicott (Lori Petty) which allows Bigelow to put into her film one of those shameless unnecessary love interests which adds nothing to the film at all except to bore me and send those eyes rolling. Once these basics are mastered he enters into Bodhi's surfing lifestyle as they gradually accept him as one of their own whilst he attempts to find evidence against them.


A random residential area is the scene for the films highlight. A footchase through the streets, alleyways, gardens and living rooms of California's residents is impressively shot and is one of the most realistic chases I've seen at the movies with Johnny and the Reagan masked crook stumbling their way through areas that you could totally believe they would come across in such a situation. There is something vaguely slapstick about the whole affair but it works brilliantly.

On a visual level Point Break provides some gorgeous to look at cinematography. In scenes which serve no purpose except to visually impress us we see numerous slow motion shots of surfers riding the waves of the Pacific and impress me they did.

But the high points of Point Break are sporadic whereas the negative aspects to the film are glaring. I found myself constantly questioning Utah's motives. I won't mention them all but the one that sticks out most is his decision to launch himself out of a moving plane four thousand feet in the air absolutely unequipped with anything to slow himself down except the hope that he will catch up to and cling on to Bodhi who had launched himself (who was most definitely equipped with a parachute) a few seconds previously. For sure, silly things happen in movies, but this decision was made by a perfectly normal, sane character who in the world of reality would most definitely not have decided to do such a thing with the odds so heavily stacked against survival. Ebert tells us not to spend a lot of time analyzing the motives of the characters here but I simply cannot overlook this one, sorry Roger.

Adding to the woe is Keanu himself. I started this review highlighting my desire to decide once and for all whether Patrick Swayze was a good actor. One thing I didn't have to decide was whether Keanu Reeves is a good one because the answer is simple...no he isn't. In places Point Break really works but whenever Reeves opens his mouth and words come out I couldn't help but cringe. His delivery just seems so forced and rehearsed. Perhaps it's just the sound of his voice and I guess he can't help that can he the poor soul?

However, philosophically speaking both Bodhi and Utah have their own beliefs and these bounce off each other to create obvious good and evil but, through a mutual love of surfing (Utah's develops throughout the course of the film) and a mutual acceptance of the importance of riding the ultimate wave, what is created is an interesting relationship between the pair. Utah becomes mesmerized by Bodhi. At times we get the feeling he likes him, at times we get the feeling he just wants to see him locked up and this sets the stage for a final showdown with real feeling on the coasts of Australia. A fitting end.

If it wasn't for some ludicrous motives that I simply cannot overlook, Reeves' hammy acting and rule break number one in having a totally pointless love interest Point Break would score higher marks. It's a surprisingly decent film which really has it's moments. It doesn't set the world alight but it has great chemistry between its two main male leads, some visual delights and a really remarkable chase scene. When it's good it's great but when it's bad it's terrible, a fitting phrase if ever there was one.

Rating: 6.5/10