Film: Point Break
Director: Kathryn Bigelow
Country: USA
Released: July 1991
Runtime: 122 minutes
Genre: Action
Studio: Largo Entertainment / 20th Century Fox
Influenced: John Woo, Rob Cohen, Gina Prince-Bythewood, Nicolas Winding Refn, Ericson Core
Point Break was conceived by screenwriter W. Peter Iliff as a modern, cinematic take on the surf noir literary subgenre, which became popular in the 1950s and 60s, while the film was also inspired by the real-life exploits of The Stopwatch Gang, a group of bank robbers who like the Ex-Presidents in the film wore the masks of former US presidents while conducting their heists. Director Kathryn Bigelow wanted to create a high-octane action film that combined the thrills of surfing and extreme sports with the excitement of a crime thriller, making Point Break a unique genre mix-up. The film's production was challenging for Bigelow and her team as a result of the physical demands of the action sequences, including skydiving, surfing and bank robberies. Point Break was one of the first films to feature realistic surfing footage, with the producers hiring professional surfers to teach the actors how to ride the waves.
The film follows Johnny Utah (Keanu Reeves), a young and inexperienced FBI agent, as he is assigned to investigate a series of bank robberies in the Los Angeles area. Utah suspects that the robbers are surfers and, in order to infiltrate their free-spirited and tight-knit community, he learns to surf with the help of his partner Angelo Pappas (Gary Busey). During his investigation, Utah becomes close to a group of surfers led by the charismatic and enigmatic Bodhi (Patrick Swayze). As he gets deeper into the surfing subculture, Utah becomes torn between his duty as an FBI agent and his loyalty to Bodhi and his gang. Utah also develops a romantic relationship with fellow surfer Tyler Endicott (Lori Petty), and their romantic involvement is a significant subplot in the film, causing Utah to become torn between his loyalty to Bodhi and his growing feelings for Tyler. It's a classic tale of an undercover cop who gets sucked into the world of crime he is investigating.
Bigelow made innovative use of slow motion and other visual effects to capture the excitement of the surfing sequences. One of the early key moments in the film is when Utah is introduced to the world of surfing by Bodhi, and his progression from a novice to a competent surfer is an essential part of Utah's undercover work. The film's surfing sequences were so popular that they helped to revive the sport of surfing in the early 1990s. Point Break is also famous for its exhilarating skydiving scenes, particularly the sequence where the gang of surfers engages in a daring mid-air heist. The film has been credited with popularising various extreme sports, including skydiving and BASE jumping, attracting a new generation of adrenaline junkies.
"This was never about the money for us. It's about us against the system. That system that kills the human spirit. We stand for something to those dead souls inching along the freeways in their metal coffins, we show them that the human spirit is still alive" – Bodhi
The climax of the film takes place at Bell's Beach, Australia, where Utah confronts Bodhi during a massive storm, a showdown on the high waves that is a perfect culmination of the film's themes of adrenaline, loyalty and moral ambiguity. While Point Break is an action film, it delves into the psychology, philosophy and motivations of its characters, particularly in the context of the relationship between Utah and Bodhi. While the movie didn't attract any major award nominations, it was a commercial success and quickly became a cult classic, leaving a lasting legacy on popular culture. In particular, the film's surfing sequences have been imitated by countless other films and TV shows, and the film's characters and catchphrases have become iconic ("Whoa, dude!"). But it's probably best not to talk about the 2015 remake.
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