Point Break

Point Break
1991 - 20th Century Fox
Directed By Kathryn Bigelow



SYNOPSIS

Rookie FBI agent Johnny Utah (Keanu Reeves) is tracking a group of serial bank robbers. His partner (Gary Busey) believes them to be surfers. So, Utah learns to surf, and soon learns the surfers he has fallen in with (led by Patrick Swayze) are the very same people he is looking for.



MY THOUGHTS

There's cheddar, Swiss, Feta, Gorgonzola and Point Break.
This cult classic action film is a highly entertaining trip if you turn your brain off and just ride the wave.

The film is well shot. The surfing and skydiving scenes are rarely captured on film looking half as good as they do here. The foot chase near the end of the film is a highlight due to the care in how well it was shot.

The script and direction do serve up a lot of action, which comes at a fast pace and there's never a dull moment. Even the love story between Keanu Reeves and Lori Petty doesn't feel tacked on.

The film is weakest when it comes to dialogue. Lines like "You crossed the line. People trusted you and they died. You gotta' go down." or "I know Johnny. I know you want me so bad it's like acid in your mouth. But, not this time." You want to shake your head. Much of the cheesiness comes from the dialogue.

The acting is a mixed bag.
Keanu Reeves is unsurprisingly wooden and doesn't bring much depth to his role. It's hard to believe this film came out the same year as My Own Private Idaho, one of his best performances.
Swayze is clearly more interesting and plays his role with a twinkle in his eye (maybe letting us know he knows how silly everything is) and you end up rooting for the bad guy over Reeves bland hero.
Gary Busey does an amazing job at actually coming across as a mostly sane person. He's just off enough to make his character interesting to watch though.
John McGinley plays Busey's and Reeves' boss. He is the stereotypical police sergeant pissed off at his subordinants that you've seen in countless film and TV shows multiplied by 100.... way, way over the top to the point of being completely unbelievable.
The poor dialogue may play a role in some of the poor performances.

Point Break however carries a great feeling of fun, energy, and bit of goofiness that propels it above you average hammy action film.
The film may be a big piece of cheese, but its a pretty tasty flavor... and goes great with some popcorn.