Point Break (1991)

 Critics don't always get it right
This is one of the best action/adventure movies ever filmed! It's a *lot* more believable than say, Iron Man, Spider Man, Super Man, etc., or anything featuring "Bond, James Bond."

Why did they give it a rough time when it first came out? It was directed by a "woman, very talented woman," and people were not about to let the sacred domain of the Summer Blockbuster Movie be shared with a woman! She had been romantically linked with James Cameron, so critics, of course, archly hinted that he did it for her, etc.

I recommended it to friends at the time, and told them it was so vivid, that in the surfer scenes you'll need a towel! They didn't go see it. Months later, when it was out on cable, they came up to me and said, "I have this great movie to recommend - you've got to see it!" I explained that it was the same movie I'd tried to bodily drag them to. They were shocked - "But this was a *good* movie!" Yes. That's what happens when you let your life be decided by critics.

It's got much more heart, and a much better story, than most summer blockbusters you'll ever see (or a lot of other movies, either). Not to be missed! Great all-around cast, pulse-pounding action, memorable lines, and -- remember your towel. May 12, 2008

 A cop's dilema
Whoa - where can you get several good-looking men, a beach front, and a
true discovery of your heart in one movie. This one teaches where the
heart lies, with right, wrong, or yourself, and the agony of having to
choose, and know the difference. March 6, 2008

 like woah dude, totally radical!
this is a comic book of an action movie, however, seeing point break as a teenager, it doesnt seem to be the case. you really think that people have fire breathers at parties, that cops can go undercover for special work-related surf lessons, that keanu reeves is cool, and so on...as an adult who knows better this is just totally illogical, i mean, radical fun.
the performances are actually really well done. patrick swayze seemed to especially lose himself in the roll and from what i've heard is or was an actuall adrenaline junkie at that time any way. he really does come off as some sort of surf guru by day/criminal at night type jeckyl and hyde character. gary busey is always way out there and is a fun sidekick for the dumb-as-rocks keanu to play off of. on that note, i never liked reeves acting. even in parenthood where he was supposed to play a bumbling retard, i was still disgusted by his lack of creativity toward such a stereotypical character. in point break he is supposed to be ice cool as SECRET AGENT JOHNNY UTAH! who has a monumental epiphony when he goes on a "stealth mission", or to us land-dwellers, night surfing that is. this special moment is realized when lori petty's character caresses his face and claims he looks like he's...well, it's such an enlightening moment i dont want to spoil anything. in reality it looks like he just got hit over the head with a surf board. which seems to be the case, stealth mission or unstealth mission.
the action moves along nicely. the movie never takes itself too seriously, even when minor characters drop like flies (you pretty much forget busey gets blasted with a shotgun to the back) the film never cuts to a crying in the rain type scene set to lonely piano keys. the bank robberies are fast and fun. the beach house parties are wild. the free fall scene is very well done and believable all the way through (you dont even question wether or not you can have a conversation while plummeting to the earth at a couple hundred miles mph).
mike nelson of mst3k and rifftrax shares my dislike for mr. reeves and if you do as well i highly suggest downloading the comedy commentary from rifftrax.com to properly enjoy this classic action flick!
as last note, keep an ear out for the dialogue. there's some real gems. February 21, 2008

 Hello! From Argentina! :)
Hello! I Purchased This Item Even That I Bought the First Edition of this
DVD Many Years Ago, But, I Could Make a Gift With the Old Version Because
This is a Good Movie that Unfortunality Was Never Released Here in my
Country, So, The Transfer is Excellent and the Only Thing that Always i
Ask and I Don't Understand Why, Is that the Extras Have No Subt. So, Even
I Speak and Talk in English, My English, As U Can See, is Very Poor, So,
That's I Put a Minus Star in Rating this Item, But, Buy it Anyway! :) January 23, 2008

 "Life sure has a sick sense of humor, doesn't it?",
Well if that means producing one of the great action flicks of all time starring Keanu Reaves, Gary Busey, and Patrick Swayze then yes, ironic and sick.

This is one of those impossible to rationalize, but impossible to look away movies. (Suspend all belief here.) Swayze as Bodhi, is the mastermind of the Ex-Presidents, a bank robbing, curl shooting, skydiving crew of funsters devoted to getting their Zen on and chillin between heists while contemplating the ultimate wave because as Patrick says "surfing is the source man." Reaves plays an ex-jock rookie Johnny Utah FBI dude that is paired with the dinosauric out of shape Pappas played frenetically by one the all time goofballs Gary Busey.

Almost instantaneously, Utah develops a theory that the ex-Presidents are surfers, so he springs into action, buys a surfboard, meets a chick who tries to teach him to surf, gets his butt kicked by the singer from the Red Hot Chili Peppers and the Cyborg "War Child", gets rescued by Bodhi, is invited to join the crew then is swept into a modern day Beach Blanket Bingo with machine guns. Along the way, Bodhi undergoes this sort of existential man love for Utah, then all hell breaks loose. If you haven't seen it yet I wont ruin the ending for you but its a pulse pounder.

This edition features much improved 5.1 audio over the original release, but honestly I cant tell any difference in the picture at 720p, but the extras are interesting for fans which include a number of throw away deleted scenes, interviews with our 3 stars, and some more snippets about surfing, spirituality, and an insiders tour of surfing Malibu plus 3 trailers. Strap it on. 4 Masks January 10, 2008

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