Other Titles • Point Break • Johnny Utah (1991) • Gefährliche Brandung (1991)
Synopses for Point Break (1991)
1.
An unbelievable movie, and deliriously better for it. Keanu Reeves is a hotshot law enforcement dude--Johnny Utah by name--investigating a series of bank robberies in L.A. Four gunmen, disguised in rubber masks of ex-U.S. presidents, have never come close to being caught, but veteran agent Gary Busey has a theory: The bandits are surfers. This prompts the superb line, "The ex-presidents rip off banks to finance the endless summer!" This movie's full of dialogue like that, but instead of sounding ridiculous it creates its own infectious comic-book energy--ride the crest of it and you'll find the film's giddy zone. Patrick Swayze plays Bodhi, zen-master leader of the surfing clan, humming serenely with the wisdom of the waves. (Alarmingly, Swayze also did his own skydiving stunts.) Director Kathryn Bigelow (Strange Days) stages the action sequences with a visceral snap, and clearly has a gift for orchestrating pulp fiction. Though not a huge hit when was first released, Point Break has a well-deserved cult reputation thanks to its video afterlife. The film's executive producer is James Cameron, Bigelow's husband at the time. --Robert Horton
(15 votes)
2.
POINT BREAK is the high-velocity thrill ride in which clean-cut FBI agent Johnny Utah (Keanu Reeves) goes head to head with surfer renegade Bodhi (Patrick Swayze) in this nonstop action drama. Utah is assigned to go undercover, investigating a string of 28 bank robberies by a gang called the Ex-Presidents. With very little to go on, as the Ex-Presidents are adept at their trade, deal only in cash, and never leave behind clues, Utah's only lead comes from his partner, Pappas (Gary Busey). Pappas believes that the Ex-Presidents are a surfer gang, lead by charismatic adrenalin junkie Bodhi. Posing as a surfer himself, Utah slowly becomes a member of Bodhi's gang, enticed by his energy and craziness. As Utah's investigation goes deeper, with dazzling extreme sports hijinks that involve night surfing, sky diving, and well-executed bank robberies that serve as the glue between his world and Bodhi's, Utah must ultimately choose between duty and friendship. Director Kathryn Bigelow presents a well-sculpted masterpiece with this action-lover's dream, adding another gem to an already glowing filmography (K-19: THE WIDOWMAKER, WILD PALMS, and THE WEIGHT OF WATER).
(15 votes)
3.
Relentless action, breathtaking surf and sky-diving cinematography, and the multi-layered performances of Keanu Reeves and Patrick Swayze make Point Break a high-adrenaline, visually spectacular thriller.
Young FBI agent Johnny Utah (Keanu Reeves) goes undercover at the suggestion of his partner (Gary Busey) to learn if a group of wild surfers is actually a gang of bank robbers. He soon comes under the dangerous spell of the surfers' charismatic leader, Bodhi (Patrick Swayze), a mystical mastermind who'll do absolutely anything for a thrill - and expects his followers to do the same.
(15 votes)
4.
A rash of daring bank robberies erupt in which the bad guys all wear the masks of worse guys--former presidents (nice touch). Johnny Utah (Keanu Reeves), an impossibly named former football star who blew out his knee and became a studly crime-busting fed instead, figures out that none of the heists occur during surfing season and all of them occur when, so to speak, surf's down. So obviously, he reasons, we're dealing with some surfer-dude bank robbers. He goes undercover with just such a group, led by a very spiritual, very guru-type guy played by Patrick Swayze, who has some muddled philosophies when it comes to materialism. If you can buy all that, this efficiently directed (by Kathryn Bigelow) action flick has some diverting moments (credit it, for example, for anticipating the extreme-sports fad). But Reeves' intelligent-sounding lines don't make him seem remotely intelligent and that plot makes him look positively brilliant. --David Kronke
(15 votes)
5.
Efficiently directed by Kathryn Bigelow and featuring some diverting action scenes, 1991's Point Break can be credited with anticipating the extreme-sports fad. A rash of daring bank robberies erupt in which the bad guys all wear the masks of worse guys--former presidents (nice touch). Johnny Utah (Keanu Reeves), an impossibly named former football star who blew out his knee and became a crime-busting federal agent instead, figures out that none of the heists occur during surfing season and all of them occur when, so to speak, surf's down. So obviously, he reasons, we're dealing with some surfer-dude bank robbers. He goes undercover with just such a group, led by a very spiritual guru-type Patrick Swayze, who has some muddled philosophies when it comes to materialism. Reeves' intelligent-sounding lines don't make him seem remotely intelligent, but the plot makes him look positively brilliant. --David Kronke
(15 votes)
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