Point Break

This article is about the 1991 film. For the 2015 remake, see Point Break (2015 film). For other uses, see Point Break (disambiguation).
Point Break

Theatrical release poster
Directed by Kathryn Bigelow
Produced by
Screenplay by W. Peter Iliff
Story by
  • W. Peter Iliff
  • Rick King
Starring
Music by Mark Isham
Cinematography Donald Peterman
Edited by Howard L. Smith
Production
companies
Distributed by 20th Century Fox
Release dates
  • July 12, 1991 (1991-07-12)
Running time
 122 minutes[1]
Country United States
Language English
Budget $24 million
Box office $83.5 million[2]

Point Break is a 1991 American action crime thriller film directed by Kathryn Bigelow, starring Patrick Swayze, Keanu Reeves, Lori Petty and Gary Busey. The title refers to the surfing term "point break," where a wave breaks as it hits a point of land jutting out from the coastline. Reeves stars as rookie FBI agent Johnny Utah, who is investigating a string of bank robberies possibly being committed by surfers. Johnny goes undercover to infiltrate the surfing community and develops a complex friendship with Bodhi (Swayze), the charismatic leader of a gang of surfers.

The film was a box office success upon its release, with an $83.5 million gross and a budget of $24 million, and has since gained cult status.[3][4]

A remake of the same name starring Luke Bracey, Ray Winstone, and Édgar Ramírez was released on December 25, 2015.

Plot

Johnny Utah is a former Ohio State Buckeyes quarterback and rookie FBI Agent. He is assigned to assist experienced agent and veteran, Angelo Pappas, in investigating a string of bank robberies by the "Ex-Presidents"; a gang of robbers that wear face-masks depicting former US presidents Ronald Reagan, Richard Nixon, Lyndon B. Johnson, and Jimmy Carter to disguise their true identities. They only raid the cash drawers in the banks that they rob—never going for the vault—and are out within 90 seconds. Pursuing Pappas' theory that the criminals are surfers, Utah goes undercover to infiltrate the surfing community. He concocts a story to persuade orphaned surfer Tyler Endicott to teach him to surf, she having saved him from drowning. Through her he meets Bodhi, the charismatic leader of a gang of surfers comprising Roach, Grommet, and Nathaniel. The group are initially wary of Utah, but accept him when Bodhi recognizes him as the former college football star. As he masters the art of surfing, Utah finds himself increasingly drawn to the surfers' adrenaline-charged lifestyle, Bodhi's philosophies, and Tyler. Following a clue retrieved by analyzing toxins found in the hair of one of the bank robbers, Utah and Pappas lead an FBI raid on another gang of surfers. Despite their criminal records, these surfers turn out to not be the Ex-Presidents and the raid inadvertently ruins a DEA undercover operation.

Watching Bodhi's group surfing, Utah begins to suspect that they are the "Ex-Presidents", noting how close a group they are and the way one of them moons everyone in the same manner one of the robbers does when leaving a bank. He tails Bodhi and his suspicions are confirmed when he sees Bodhi and Roach casing a bank. Utah and Pappas stake out the bank and the Ex-Presidents appear. Bodhi, wearing a Reagan mask, leads Utah on a furious foot chase through the neighborhood, which ends when Utah, by jumping into an aqueduct, causes an old knee injury (the one that ended his playing career) to flare up again. Despite having a clear shot at Bodhi (locking eyes with him), Utah cannot bring himself to shoot—instead unloading his magazine into the sky in frustration—and Bodhi escapes.

At a camp-fire that night, it is confirmed that Bodhi and his gang are the Ex-Presidents. Their primary motivation is not profit, but rebelling against the system that "kills the human spirit". Knowing Utah's true identity, most of the gang want out, but Bodhi refuses to fold. The next morning, Tyler discovers Utah's secret and breaks-up with him. Shortly afterwards, Bodhi aggressively recruits Utah into going skydiving with the group. Utah, still without proof of Bodhi's crimes, acquiesces. After the jump, Bodhi reveals that he knows Utah is an FBI agent and has arranged for his friend Rosie, a non-surfing thug, to hold Tyler hostage. Utah is thus blackmailed into participating in the Ex-Presidents last bank robbery of the summer. During the robbery, Bodhi breaks his own rule by going for the money in the vault, taking too much time. As a result, Grommet, along with an off-duty police officer and a security guard—who both try to stop the robbery—are killed. Angered by Grommet's death and by having to kill the police officer, Bodhi knocks Utah out and leaves him at the scene.

Defying their senior officer, Pappas and Utah go to the airport where Bodhi, Roach, and Nathaniel are about to leave for Mexico, where Rosie is awaiting them with Tyler. During a shoot-out, Pappas and Nathaniel are killed, and Roach is seriously wounded. The pilot reveals the group's destination within Utah's earshot, jeopardizing their escape plans. With Roach aboard, Bodhi forces Utah onto the plane at gunpoint. Once airborne and over their intended drop zone, Bodhi and Roach put on their parachutes and jump from the plane, leaving Utah to take the blame again. With no other parachutes available, Utah jumps from the plane with Bodhi's gun and intercepts him before he lands, but Bodhi forces Utah to drop the gun so he can open their parachute and land safely. Upon impact, Utah's knee gives out again, allowing Bodhi to escape Utah's grasp. Bodhi meets with Rosie and releases Tyler. Roach dies of his wounds and Bodhi and Rosie leave with the money.

Nine months later, a long-haired Utah, still surfing, tracks down Bodhi at Bells Beach in Victoria, Australia, where a record storm is producing lethal waves. This is an event Bodhi had talked about experiencing, calling it the "50-Year Storm". Utah attempts to bring Bodhi into custody, but Bodhi refuses. During a brawl in the surf, Utah manages to handcuff himself to Bodhi. Bodhi begs Utah to release him so he can ride the once-in-a-lifetime wave. Knowing Bodhi will not come back alive, Utah releases him, bids him farewell and sees him step towards the wave. While the authorities watch Bodhi surf to his death, Utah walks away, throwing his FBI badge into the ocean.

Cast

Production

Originally, Matthew Broderick, Johnny Depp, Val Kilmer and Charlie Sheen were all considered to star in Point Break playing the character Johnny Utah with Ridley Scott directing.[5][6]

After acquiring the screenplay, the producers of Point Break began looking for a director. At the time, executive producer James Cameron was married to director Kathryn Bigelow, who had just completed Blue Steel and was looking for her next project.[5]

Point Break was originally called Johnny Utah when Keanu Reeves was cast in the title role.[5] The studio felt that this title said very little about surfing and by the time Patrick Swayze was cast, the film had been renamed Riders on the Storm after the famous rock song by The Doors. However, Jim Morrison's lyrics had nothing to do with the film and so that title was also rejected. It was not until halfway through filming that Point Break became the film's title because of its relevance to surfing.[5] Reeves and Swayze had appeared together once before, in the 1986 film Youngblood.

Reeves liked the name of his character as it reminded him of star athletes like Johnny Unitas and Joe Montana.[7] He described his character as a "total control freak and the ocean beats him up and challenges him. After a while everything becomes a game...He becomes as amoral as any criminal. He loses the difference between right and wrong."[5] Swayze felt that Bodhi was a lot like him and that they both shared "that wild-man edge."[5]

Two months before filming, Lori Petty, Reeves, and Swayze trained with former world class professional surfer Dennis Jarvis on the Hawaiian island of Kauai.[5] Jarvis remembers, "Patrick said he'd been on a board a couple of times, Keanu definitely had not surfed before, and Lori had never been in the ocean in her life."[8] Shooting the surfing sequences proved to be challenging for both actors with Swayze cracking four of his ribs. For many of the surfing scenes he refused to use a stunt double as he never had one for fight scenes or car chases. He also did the skydiving scenes himself and the film's aerial jump instructor Jim Wallace found that the actor was a natural and took to it right away.[5] The actor ended up making 55 jumps for the film.[9] Swayze actually based aspects of his character after one of his stunt doubles, Darrick Doerner, a top big wave surfer.[10] After learning to surf for the film, Reeves took a liking to it and took it up as a hobby. [11]

Although the final scene of the film is set at Bells Beach, the scene was not filmed there. Bells Beach is a straight stretch and the beach in the film is a cove with spruce trees atop a hill. The actual location of the film was a beach called Indian Beach, in Ecola State Park, located in Cannon Beach, Oregon, USA.

Soundtrack

Score album

On February 7, 2008, a score release for Point Break was released by La-La Land Records, featuring composer Mark Isham's score. This edition was limited to 2,000 units and features 65 minutes of score with liner notes by Dan Goldwasser that incorporate comments from both Bigelow and Isham. It is now out of print.[12]

Reception

Box office

Point Break was released on July 12, 1991 in 1,615 theaters, grossing $8.5 million on its opening weekend, behind Terminator 2: Judgment Day's (directed by Bigelow's then husband, James Cameron) second weekend and the openings of the re-issue of 101 Dalmatians and Boyz n the Hood. With a budget of $24 million, the film went on to make $43.2 million in North America and $40.3 million internationally for a worldwide total of $83.5 million.[2]

Critical response

The film received mixed to positive reviews from critics. On review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds a 68% rating based on 57 reviews, with an average rating of 6.1/10.[13] Metacritic reports a 58 out of 100 rating based on 20 reviews, indicating "mixed or average reviews".[14]

Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun-Times gave the film three-and-a-half stars out of four and wrote "Bigelow is an interesting director for this material. She is interested in the ways her characters live dangerously for philosophical reasons. They aren't men of action, but men of thought who choose action as a way of expressing their beliefs."[15] In her review for The New York Times, Janet Maslin praised Reeves' performance: "A lot of the snap comes, surprisingly, from Mr. Reeves, who displays considerable discipline and range. He moves easily between the buttoned-down demeanor that suits a police procedural story and the loose-jointed manner of his comic roles."[16] Entertainment Weekly gave the film a "C+" rating and Owen Gleiberman wrote "Point Break makes those of us who don't spend our lives searching for the ultimate physical rush feel like second-class citizens. The film turns reckless athletic valor into a new form of aristocracy."[17]

In his review for The Washington Post, Hal Hinson wrote "A lot of what Bigelow puts up on the screen bypasses the brain altogether, plugging directly into our viscera, our gut. The surfing scenes in particular are majestically powerful, even awe-inspiring. Bigelow's picture is a feast for the eyes, but we watch movies with more than our eyes. She seduces us, then asks us to be bimbos."[18] Rolling Stone magazine's Peter Travers wrote, "Bigelow can't keep the film from drowning in a sea of surf-speak. But without her, Point Break would be no more than an excuse to ogle pretty boys in wet suits."[19]

USA Today gave the film two out of four stars and Mike Clark wrote "Its purely visceral material (surf sounds, skydiving stunt work, a tough indoor shootout midway through) are first-rate. As for the tangibles that matter even more (script, acting, directorial control, credible relationships between characters), Break defies belief. Dramatically, it rivals the lowest surf yet this year."[20] Time magazine's Richard Corliss wrote, "So how do you rate a stunningly made film whose plot buys so blithely into macho mysticism that it threatens to turn into an endless bummer? Looks 10, Brains 3."[21]

Some critics argue that the 2001 film The Fast and the Furious is a copy of Point Break, swapping surfing for illegal street car racing.[22]

In 2006, a special edition was released on DVD. Entertainment Weekly gave it a "B" rating and wrote, "The making-of docs (at their best discussing Swayze's extracurricular skydiving—that really is him doing the Adios, amigo fall) will leave you hanging."[23] It was first released on Blu-ray as a special "Pure Adrenaline Edition" on July 1, 2008, but that was later discontinued. Point Break was re-released on Blu-ray by Warner Home Video on June 14, 2011.

Accolades

At the 1992 MTV Movie Awards, Point Break was nominated for three awards including "Most Desirable Male" (Keanu Reeves), "Most Desirable Male" (Patrick Swayze), and "Best Action Sequence" for the second jump from the plane. In it, Utah jumps out of a plane without a parachute to catch Bodhi and rescue Tyler. Utah catches up with Bodhi and holds a gun to his head. However, Bodhi refuses to pull the rip cord and Utah must decide between dropping his gun (so he can hold on and pull the rip cord) or letting the two fall to the ground. The film ultimately won "Most Desirable Male" for Keanu Reeves.

Legacy

Point Break was listed in the VH1 series I Love the 90s on the episode "1991". Many celebrities, including Dominic Monaghan, Mo Rocca, Michael Ian Black, Hal Sparks, and Chris Pontius commented about the film and why it deserved to be included in the episode. Entertainment Weekly ranked Point Break as having one of the "10 Best Surfing Scenes" in cinema.[24]

The film inspired a piece of cult theater, Point Break Live!, in which the role of Johnny Utah is played by an audience member chosen by popular acclamation after a brief audition. The new "Keanu" reads all of his (or her) lines from cue-cards for the duration of the show, "to capture the rawness of a Keanu Reeves performance even from those who generally think themselves incapable of acting."[25]

Point Break was referenced in Hot Fuzz, where the scene of Utah emptying his magazine into the sky in frustration is watched by the lead characters and later re-enacted by Nick Frost's character.[26][27]

The scene in which Utah jumps after Bodhi without a parachute was ranked seventh in Empire magazine's Top 10 Crazy Action Sequences. The scene was also tested by the Discovery Channel series MythBusters. It was determined that Utah and Bodhi would not have been able to free-fall for 90 seconds (as in the film), nor would they have been able to hold a conversation in mid-air. However, it was determined that, by streamlining his body, Utah could have conceivably caught up with Bodhi after jumping from the plane.[28]

Remake

Alcon Entertainment and Warner Bros. released a remake of the film, written by Kurt Wimmer,[29] and directed by Ericson Core.[30] The film stars are Luke Bracey, Ray Winstone, and Édgar Ramírez.[31][32][33][34] The film was released on December 25, 2015 to largely negative reviews.

References

  1. ↑ "POINT BREAK (15) (CUT)". British Board of Film Classification. August 7, 1991. Retrieved December 25, 2015.
  2. 1 2 "Point Break (1991)". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 2008-05-24.
  3. ↑ http://www.theglobeandmail.com/arts/film/with-the-point-break-remake-ive-reached-a-breaking-point/article27923389/
  4. ↑ http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/movies/moviesnow/la-et-mn-point-break-new-movie-plot-surfing-flying-20151029-story.html
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 "Point Break DVD Liner Notes". Point Break: Pure Adrenaline Edition (20th Century Fox). 2006.
  6. ↑ Cinefile Klady, Leonard. Los Angeles Times (1923-Current File) [Los Angeles, Calif] 14 Aug 1988: K32.
  7. ↑ Strauss, Bob (July 12, 1991). "I'd like to do a lot of different things". The Globe and Mail.
  8. ↑ "Board Certified". Entertainment Weekly. July 26, 1991. Retrieved 2009-04-24.
  9. ↑ Thomas, Karen (July 12, 1991). "Swayze's latest step". USA Today.
  10. ↑ Willistein, Paul (July 17, 1991). "Swayze enjoys bad-guy role in Point Break". Toronto Star.
  11. ↑ http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0102685/trivia?tab=tr&item=tr0780544
  12. ↑ "LA LA LAND RECORDS, Point Break". Lalalandrecords.com. Retrieved 2012-05-30.
  13. ↑ "Point Break (1991)". Rotten Tomatoes. Flixster. Retrieved December 25, 2015.
  14. ↑ "Point Break reviews". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved December 25, 2015.
  15. ↑ Ebert, Roger (July 12, 1991). "Point Break". Chicago Sun-Times. Retrieved 2009-04-24.
  16. ↑ Maslin, Janet (July 12, 1991). "Surf's Up For F.B.I. In Bigelow's Point Break". The New York Times. Retrieved 2009-04-24.
  17. ↑ Gleiberman, Owen (July 26, 1991). "Point Break". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved 2009-04-24.
  18. ↑ Hinson, Hal (July 12, 1991). "Point Break". The Washington Post. Retrieved 2009-04-24.
  19. ↑ Travers, Peter (April 11, 2001). "Point Break". The Washington Post. Retrieved 2009-04-24.
  20. ↑ Clark, Mike (July 12, 1991). "Point Break is a dramatic wipeout". USA Today.
  21. ↑ Corliss, Richard (July 22, 1991). "Cinema". Time. Retrieved 2009-04-24.
  22. ↑ "Junkfood Cinema: The Fast and the Furious". Film School Rejects. 2012-12-13. Retrieved 2012-12-22.
  23. ↑ Bierly, Mandi (September 29, 2006). "DVD Review: Point Break". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved 2009-04-24.
  24. ↑ "10 Best Surfing Scenes". Entertainment Weekly. August 8, 2002. Retrieved 2009-04-24.
  25. ↑ "Point Break LIVE!". May 12, 2009. Retrieved 2009-05-16.
  26. ↑ http://www.bbcamerica.com/anglophenia/2013/08/pegg-wright-frost-best-movie-references/
  27. ↑ http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/news/point-break-remake-filming-underway-on-90s-classic-9730694.html
  28. ↑ See MythBusters (2007 season)#Point Break Trilogy
  29. ↑ "‘Point Break’ Redo For Alcon Entertainment". Deadline.
  30. ↑ 'Invincible' director Ericson Core to helm 'Point Break' remake
  31. ↑ "Ray Winstone takes Gary Busey's Point Break role". DenofGeek.
  32. ↑ "Edgar Ramirez In Talks For ‘Point Break’; Pic Set For Summer 2015 Release". deadline.com. 14 May 2014. Retrieved 15 May 2014.
  33. ↑ "Gerard Butler Catches Wave In ‘Point Break’". Deadline.
  34. ↑ "Luke Bracey Set For ‘Point Break’ Remake Opposite Gerard Butler". Deadline.

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