MPAA Rating: R/Genre: Action/Stars: Keanu Reeves, Patrick Swayze, Gary Busey, Lori Petty, John C. McGinley, James LeGros, John Philbin, Bojesse Christopher, Lee Tergesen, Vincent Klyn, Chris Pedersen, Dave Olson, Anthony Kiedis, Galyn Gorg, Sydney Walsh, Anthony Mangano, Mike Genovese, Jack Kehler, Christopher Pettiet, Tom Sizemore/Runtime: 122 minutes
If there is one recurring thing that I have found myself discovering time and time again during my 5-year tenure as a film reviewer (or professional movie watcher if you prefer) of a still to be determined degree of skill and talent it’s that there are at least 2 distinct groups of movies in existence in the world around us. The first group is made up of movies that, in virtually every way possible plus 5-10 more thrown in for good measure, seemingly exist for no other reason than to make the studio that distributes it the envy of all the others come Oscar (or whatever award ceremony you would like to insert here) night because you know it is going to snatch up at a minimum some serious award nominations and at best quite a few of those coveted prizes. The second group on the other hand is made up of slices of cinema that other members of the professional movie watching community (or fellow reviewers if you prefer things short and simple) might not fully be onboard with and/or highly unsure about what exactly the slice of cinema in question is trying to provide to movie goers, but which are nevertheless films that are still able to be enjoyed when viewed and taken on their own merits. Oh, and also good luck on them even making it on the Oscar ballot let alone even being talked about in the same breath as such “prestige pictures” as 2014’s Birdman, 2015’s Spotlight, and arguably 2019’s Ad Astra to name but a few examples of that category from the past decade of movie magic. Yet among the many films that make up this distinct 2nd group however, there is one subsection within it that I find myself admitting I can, and quite often do, appreciate with a passion that goes back to when I was a kid. That being the movies that are pure grade-A popcorn cinema at its finest and whose primary goal seems to be no more or less than to keep you, the viewer engaged and entertained from beginning to end all while hopefully trying to make a bit of that cold hard cash in the process. The reason I bring all of this up to you dear reader is because the 1991 slice of cinema, and film I happen to be reviewing for you today incidentally, Point Break is most assuredly a wonderful example of this concept in action. Indeed here is a slice of cinema that is definitely ridiculous and oh is it ever over the top, but at the same time darn it all if it also isn’t incredibly entertaining as well. To be sure, it is most assuredly not a perfect slice of cinema by any measure of the imagination, but with the aid of engaging work done both behind and in front of the camera Point Break “91” is definitely one hang-ten kind of film that I promise you are sure to have a blast watching regardless of it’s your 1st or 234rd time watching it.
The plot is as follows: Taking us as movie goers to the picturesque area known as Southern California, Point Break gets underway by introducing us to a young man by the name of Johnny Utah. A young man who, at one time, looked like he was going to make it big in life as a star quarterback, but following a horrific knee injury has decided instead to merely settle for a job as a special agent for that distinct three letter government organization known as the FBI (oh the tragedy!). As our story is getting underway, we see that Mr. Utah is just getting acclimated to his new job as a member of the Bank Robbery Unit in the FBI’s branch located in Los Angeles when he is given both a new partner in the form of a long-time and more than slightly cranky veteran agent named Angelo Pappas as well as his first assignment as an agent. It seems that, for a long time prior to the start of our story, the FBI has been trying without much success to apprehend a group of bank robbers that, due to the fact that they wear masks of Nixon, Reagan, Carter, and Lyndon Johnson during their various heists, has earned them the not-so affectionate nickname of the Ex-Presidents. Yet, despite the assorted attempts made by the Bureau to determine just who in the world these people let alone how to catch them, we see that Utah’s new partner has perhaps been pursuing the most seemingly outlandish theory of them all. That being that the group they are hunting, when they’re not out robbing banks left and right, are instead riding some serious waves as members of the surfing community. Unlike most of their colleagues however, we see that our intrepid hero is actually intrigued by this theory and decides to assist his new partner in pursuing it by going undercover in the local surf scene with only one small problem: he doesn’t know how to surf for the life of him. Thankfully for Utah, we see that situation is soon rectified with the aid of a female surfer named Tyler who after a period of time introduces our hero to a fairly noteworthy local member of the surfing community by the name of Bodhi and his group. However, it isn’t long before our hero finds himself being drawn to the lifestyle of his new “friend” despite the evidence also beginning to pile up that Bodhi and his squad are in fact the bank robbers that the FBI has been pursuing all this time. Thus can our hero regain his sense of duty to say nothing of identity and bring his new-found compatriot in to face justice for his crimes before he and his crew rob another bank or is he about to find himself on the wrong end of a serious wipeout (and I don’t mean from the waves either)? That I shall leave for you to discover for yourself dear reader….
Now right off the ol’ surf board, it should be said that the work done by the various groups hanging ten behind the camera, whilst not Oscar-worthy by any stretch of the imagination, still manages to succeed incredibly well in regards to bringing this slice of cinema to life on the level that it is ultimately able to attain. Without a doubt, this starts with the work done in the director’s chair by Kathryn Bigelow (2008’s The Hurt Locker, 2017’s Detroit, 2012’s Zero Dark Thirty) and while this is by no means the best slice of cinema in her filmography, it is also most assuredly not her worst either. Indeed not only does Bigelow do an incredibly skilled job here at making this a distinct and riveting viewing experience through both a fairly novel narrative to say nothing of some remarkably taut and creative action beats including a sky diving sequence that you have to see to believe, but she also proves to be just as successful in both giving the cast of characters at the heart of the film to grow and change whilst also devoting time to really do a deep dive into what drives them as well as their internal dilemmas which, as they are revealed to the viewer, wind up giving the narrative a degree of nuance that it might not have had if the characters or even the story itself was just another run of the mill type in this distinct cinematic arena. Besides the undeniably engaging work done here by Bigelow at the helm, the film also features a fairly solid screenplay as penned by W. Peter Iliff. Yes the story utilizes the “undercover cop infiltrating such and such gang” trope, but what makes Iliff’s screenplay so good is that it manages to make the story remarkably compelling and even emotional at points as well as give us a collection of characters that, by and large, we actually care about rather than archetypes we’ve seen a million times before. Besides the aforementioned efforts engaged in by the previous two departments, this slice of cinema is also one that has the incredible talents of the late 2-time Oscar nominee Donald Peterman (Flashdance from 1983, Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home) leading the way in the cinematography department. Indeed not only does Peterman’s skillful utilization of natural lighting as well as wide shots conjure up a vibe of scale as well as beauty when it comes to the locales and beaches the film takes place in, but his skill at capturing the highly kinetic action beats also ensures that the audience is left just as much on the edge of their seats as well. Last, but most assuredly not least by any means, this section of the review would definitely not be as complete if I didn’t devote a fair degree of it to the work done by nine-time Grammy nominee Mark Isham (2007’s The Mist, 2004’s Miracle, and the first Blade film from 1998) on this slice of cinema’s musical accompaniment. Indeed not only does Isham’s score here add to the overall atmosphere of the film remarkably well, but it also proves to be just as successful in terms of reinforcing both the truly spectacular action beats as well as the degree of pathos on display in the film as well thereby making the overall film that much stronger of a watch in the process. Suffice it to say that when you take into account fairly well-done work from the editing department as headed by Howard Smith among others it’s clear that the film, as stated previously, might never have been one that was meant to be awards worthy by any stretch, but even so that doesn’t make the efforts done by the undeniably talented people operating behind the camera here any less impressive.
In addition to the incredibly skillful work engaged in by the assorted teams working behind the camera, it most assuredly does not hurt this slice of cinema in even the least that their work is matched beat for beat by the performances given in front of the camera by an impeccable and fairly well-chosen cast of players even if some, as we have seen time and time again, might not have as much material to operate with as others. Without a doubt in my mind, this starts with the seemingly eternal Keanu Reeves (do I even have to put any of this man’s filmography here?) in the lead role and he is terrific here. Indeed as Johnny Utah, we see that Reeves does a solid job of presenting us with a character who, when we first meet him, is someone who has quite the dedication to his job while also being relentlessly driven by the urge to prove himself and show that he has what it takes to be an agent to both his superiors and maybe even himself on some level. Yet as the film goes on, and the longer Utah spends working undercover, we see that Reeves also excels at showing us the character’s inner moral struggle between upholding the law and his increasing respect/friendship with the character of Bodhi and the people in his inner circle respectively. Suffice it to say that it’s a fantastic turn from an actor who I feel has long been one of the more underrated of his generation (though the fact that he’s also apparently one of the nicest people you could meet is also nothing to sneeze at by any stretch). As good as Reeves is here however, he is matched up incredibly well by the performance given by the late yet wonderful Patrick Swayze (1990’s Ghost, 2001’s Donnie Darko, and some dancing movie from 1987 that no one saw) in the pivotal role of Bodhi. Yes it might take about 20-23 minutes before he fully shows up here, but once he does there is no denying that Swayze does a magnificent job here of giving us a guy who, much like Utah, we can’t help admiring. Not just because of the sheer amount of charm and charisma the guy has to say nothing of his more than slightly intriguing code of morals that he operates by, but also because of just how dedicated the guy is to living life on his terms which mostly consists of striving to find new ways to be thrilled in life even if some of those ways may or may not entirely be what society would consider to be legal. Suffice it to say it’s a truly complex and multifaceted turn and it’s also easily one of the five best in its performer’s career. Alongside the terrific work done here by both Reeves and Swayze, the film also provides us with an enjoyable co-starring turn from Gary Busey as Utah’s new partner Angelo Pappas. Yes, there is a hint of that trademark delightfully over the top Busey insanity in this guy, but overall Busey does a wonderful job of giving us a character who is very much dedicated to his job whilst also being as solid and supportive partner to our hero as he possibly can despite the two butting heads initially. Suffice it to say that when you also factor into the mix solid work from such talents as Lori “Tank Girl” Petty, John C. McGinley, James LeGros, John Philbin, Lee Tergesen, and lead vocalist for the Red Hot Chili Peppers Anthony Kiedis among others it’s clear that this slice of cinema might have some hiccups, but thankfully the work done by this cast definitely does what it can to keep the film from being a complete and utter wipeout all the same.
All in all and at the end of the day is Point Break “91” the flawless cinematic equivalent of catching the perfect wave off the coast of Hawaii on a warm summer day? Sadly, and as enticing as that does sound right about now in all honesty, I am afraid that is not the case though most assuredly not for lack of effort by any stretch of the imagination on the part of either the cast or crew involved in bringing this film to life. With that in mind however, is this slice of cinema no more or less than the worst film wipeout than any of the individuals involved in the making of it possess on their distinct creative resumes? Oh no. Trust me when I say that there are most assuredly some slices of cinema that these people have been a part of which deserve that distinct “title” infinitely more than this one ever could. To be sure, and in the name of fairness, this is not a perfect film. Not just because there are certain cliches that exist despite the best efforts of the writers of the script, but also because there are more than a few of that horrific cinematic ailment known as plotius holicus (or plot holes if you’re not familiar with completely made up Latin words) to say nothing of the fact that more than a few characters amongst the cast aren’t really given a whole lot in terms of material to work with despite the efforts of the undeniably talented individuals bringing them to life here for us as movie goers. With that in mind, there is also no denying that the work done at the helm by Kathryn Bigelow is genuinely thrilling while also doing what it can to really let us get to know the characters at the heart of the story, the cinematography is equal parts kinetic and beautiful, the script (for all its issues) is actually not that badly written, the score does a fantastic job at really reinforcing the action and pathos that we see unfurl before us on screen, and the performances by the highly skilled group of performers in front of the camera (with particular regard to the ones contributed by Reeves, Swayze, Petty, and Busey) are all an absolute blast despite the aforementioned inequality in the amount of narrative material being passed out. Suffice it to say then that it might not have been a film that was ever going to make it on any awards ballots the year it came out, but even so Point Break “91” is an undeniably thrilling, engaging, and just plain fun popcorn film that I promise you and the fellow adrenaline lovers in your life that hopefully don’t dress up in masks depicting former United States Presidents are sure to enjoy time and time again. Make of that what thou will and hang ten everyone! On a scale of 1-5 I give Point Break “91” a solid 4 out of 5.
