Point Break (1991)

	Directed by: Kathryn Bigelow	COUNTRY USA GENRE Action/Crime NORWEGIAN TITLE Point Break RUNNING TIME 122 minutes
	Produced by: Peter Abrams Robert L. Levy
	Written by: W. Peter Iliff

Cast includes:
CHARACTER	ACTOR/ACTRESS	RATING
Bodhi	Patrick Swayze	½
Johnny Utah	Keanu Reeves
Pappas	Gary Busey
Tyler	Lori Petty	½
FBI Agent Harp	John C. McGinley	½
Roach	James LeGros	½
"15"	Christopher Pettiet
D. E. A. Agent Deets	Tom Sizemore

Review

As a genre movie, Point Break is a hybrid between the 1980s action genre, with industrious, fast-paced scenes and partly banal characterizations on the one hand, and a visionary nod to the Tarantinoesque, relentlessly violent, and far more creative films of the early 1990s on the other. It works well in this mode, albeit not within a realistic framework. It's through the portrayal of surfing – explicitly – and breaking free – implicitly – that Point Break has its primary thematic value. The conception of the Bodhi character is crucial in this respect, and it's very well executed. Director Kathryn Bigelow shows flair – she doesn't get tempted into letting her film revolve around trivial, over-discussed themes (except perhaps the somewhat superficial Johnny Utah/Tyler relationship), but instead goes deep into the psychology of Bodhi and the shroud of mystery he surrounds himself with. The philosophy involved isn't exactly groundbreaking, but the film has a seductive air of freedom, liberation and carefreeness that lifts the overall effect above the basic plotline. It makes the finale surprisingly effective, even if there's not too much suspense left. On its way there, Point Break is great fun. Keanu Reeves looks great and has his fine moments, but unfortunately falls flat in a handful of the more dramatic scenes. Patrick Swayze is satisfactorily enigmatic and scruffy, and Gary Busey is fine as the counterweight – stealing most of the scenes he's in.