Point Break (1991)

While working on “Terminator 2: Judgement Day,” James “Jim” Cameron and his then wife Kathryn Bigalow (The Hurt Locker, Zero Dark Thirty) fresh from finishing “Blue Steel,” worked on an action crime thriller together starring Keanu Reeves (one of my favorite actors) and the late Patrick Swayze known as, “Point Break.”

Point Break was released in 1991. (same year Beauty And The Beast came out) It earned positive reviews from critics and movie goers alike. Plus, it made enough money at the box office. Point Break eventually became a cult classic. An unnecessary critically panned remake came out in 2015.

The controversial video game, “Cyberpunk 2077” is out with Keanu Reeves as Johnny Silverhand. He will reprise his two roles as Neo/Thomas Anderson in “The Matrix 4” & “John Wick” in a fourth film in the John Wick series. To prepare for Keanu’s anticipated films, I’d like to share my thoughts on his first film as an action hero prior to “Speed,” “The Matrix Trilogy” and John Wick. I’m also gearing up for James Cameron’s sequel to “Avatar.”

Today’s review doesn’t contain no crucial SPOILERS whatsoever. I’m giving a bunch of people a chance to see this cult classic. Is it breathtaking or a dud? Let’s scrape the bottom of the barrel.

Ascending & Descending Aspects

Ascending: Keanu Reeves (The One) & Patrick Swayze (may he Rest In Peace) both did a fantastic job for their respective performances as Johnny Utah & Bodhi.

Other Cast Members such as Gary Busey, (good with acronyms) Lori Petty, (hasn’t been around since Tank Girl) Tom Sizemore (who likes to sniff on a woman’s farts) & John C. McGinley (Perry Cox from Scrubs) all did a good job for their respective performances.

Kathryn Bigelow did a decent job directing the movie.

Fun Fact: Before Kathryn was chosen as director, Ridley Scott (one of my favorite directors) was considered to direct Point Break. He had to turn down the opportunity in favor of directing “Thelma & Louise.”

James Cameron served as an executive producer. Jim assisted his ex for tips on directing. He & Kathryn co-wrote the film uncredited.

Action Sequences were really good. My favorites are the chase scene and skydiving scene. I’m giving the latter scene Bonus Points without using a Green Screen using Keanu & Patrick doing their own skydiving. If I ever do a skydiving scene, I would definitely refuse.

The Bank Robbers conceal their identities wearing an ex-president mask. Christopher Nolan took some inspiration from Point Break & “Heat” to film the bank robbery scene from “The Dark Knight.”

Point Break’s premise was the inspiration for “The Fast And The Furious” with street racing.

Chemistry between Johnny Utah & Bodhi served as one of the main highlights.

Johnny Utah used to be a quarterback. Keanu went on to play a football player in “The Replacements.”

Keanu has a habit playing characters named Johnny/Jonathan/John in “Dracula 1992,” “Johnny Mnemonic,” “Constantine,” John Wick & Cyberpunk 2077.

Remember that one scene from “Hot Fuzz” with Nick Frost shooing in the air? Point Break did it first. Edgar Wright is a passionate fan of action movies.

Keanu likes to surf in real life. He did his own surfing.

If you’re a fan of the rock band “Red Hot Chili Peppers,” frontman Anthony Kiedis makes a brief appearance as a surfer who fights Johnny Utah.

One scene that made me laugh is when one of the bank robbers wearing a Richard Nixon masked shouts, “I’m not a crook!” Oh the irony!

Remember in “The Avengers” with Tony Stark nicknaming Thor as “Point Break?” It was later referenced in “Thor Ragnarok.”

Descending: One character said, “Looks like you’ve seen a ghost.” Ugh! I hate it when somebody says this cliche. If I were writing this film I would’ve spiced it up with, “Looks like you’ve seen James Dean.”

Cinematography can be shaky at times. Who’s the cameraman in charge, Speedy Gonzales drinking 24 cans of Coca-Cola?

The Final Verdict: B, FOR BREATHTAKING!

Point Break is a breathtaking (cue the meme from Keanu Reeves at The 2019 E3 Expo) action crime thriller ten times better than that unnecessary 2015 remake. If you’re feeling impatient for The Matrix 4 and John Wick 4, I highly recommend the real Point Break.