Point Break (1991) – Film Review

Director: Kathryn Bigelow
Cast: Patrick Swayze, Keanu Reeves, Gary Busey
Certificate: 15

By Sarah Morgan

To be honest, the early-to-mid 1990s are a bit of a blur. Well, I was a happy-go-lucky student back then, doing some studying, but mostly ‘finding myself’ on the mean streets of Scarborough.

Yep, that’s where my seat of learning was based. Not what you might describe as your typical student hideout, but we did our bit to prove it was just as cool to be there as it would have been in Leeds or Sheffield.

One thing I do remember as clear as day are the posters many of my compatriots had on their walls. Every other person seemed to have one of Keanu Reeves, while many of the others had Patrick Swayze (I had Harvey Keitel in Reservoir Dogs, but that’s an entirely different story).

“Gang of surfer dudes”

I couldn’t see what all the fuss was about with either, but then, I hadn’t seen Point Break, the movie that brought them together for the first and only time. That initiation came some years later, and although I wouldn’t say it made me a huge fan of either of them, I couldn’t help but be swept along by its over-the-top storytelling.

For the uninitiated, Reeves plays the improbably named Johnny Utah, a college star footballer-turned-FBI agent who goes undercover to infiltrate the gang of surfer dudes he and his older partner (Gary Busey) believe are behind a series of bank heists, carried out while wearing the masks of ex-US Presidents.

The fact that everybody seems to know Utah, so he’s hardly the best-placed person to go incognito, is brushed over somewhat, and he does indeed ingratiate himself with Bodhi (Swayze), the gang’s leader. They get along so well that Utah finds himself wondering if he really can turn in his friend – if that time should come.

“Overtly macho”

Lori Petty also appears as the token love interest, although the real love story is between Utah and Bodhi – somebody has probably written an entire thesis on the homoerotic subtext at play here.

Having said that, it’s an overtly macho film. It’s almost as if director Kathryn Bigelow decided to make it as testosterone-packed as she could, so that nobody could accuse her of being soft on the protagonists.

The screenplay, by W Peter Iliff, features some terrible lines, mostly spouted by Swayze: “Fear causes hesitation, and hesitation will cause your worst fears to come true,” is one, while “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,” is another.

But full marks go to Swayze for delivering them with a straight face. Then again, he’d had plenty of practice of doing such a thing while making Road House, in which he played a philosophy expert/bouncer, a couple of years earlier.

Reeves looks good, but it’s not a convincing performance. Utah is supposed to be serious about his work, but there are times when I couldn’t help but see his Bill and Ted character coming through.

Despite these misgivings, Point Break somehow works. It’s never less than entertaining, and you can’t argue with that. I won’t be rushing out to add to my poster collection anytime soon, however.