Hi everyone! I hope you all are well, and are excited for Labor Day Weekend. Speaking of which, happy Labor Day, almost! Anyway, today, we are going to be reviewing a very, very adult film. It is a certain action film that turned 30 years old as of this year. Not to mention that it was popular enough either in theaters, or on video, or both, that it spawned a remake nearly 25 years later. Starring Keanu Reeves, Patrick Swayze, Gary Buddy, and Lori Petty to name a few, the movie is Point Break, from 1991.
Plot: A former Ohio State quarterback, and FBI agent named Johnny Utah (Keanu Reeves) travels to the California coast to solve a case that involves a band of bank robbers, led by the charismatic leader, Bodhi (Patrick Swayze). The bank robbers wear masks that resemble former presidents Ronald Reagan, Richard Nixon, Lyndon B. Johnson, and Jimmy Carter. With the help of new partner Angelo Pappas (Gary Busey), can they crack the case, and bring the sneaky bank robbers to justice once and for all?
Okay, first of all, Keanu Reeves, and the rest of the cast do really well in their respective roles. I mean Gary Busey, Patrick Swayze, you name it, you can tell that they put their heart, and soul in these characters as much as possible. I’m not sure how popular, or well known people like Keanu Reeves were before debuting in films like the Speed movies, or The Matrix movies, or films like those. Still, if Reeves was newer to the movie business at this point in time, this was definitely a great practice round before he would go on to star in those later films. As for people like Swayze, as the villain of this film, he does well as playing a villain that can do well at being a fraud at different points throughout this story. As for Gary Busey, Lori Petty, and the rest of the cast, need I say more? Oh, and another thing! Reeves, and Busey work well together when it comes to working in this film. Next, Point Break is fantastic at showing the difficulties of being a cop, and the things that are involved when trying to solve different cases. I mean with having to sometimes going undercover in order to try to take down the enemy, constantly having to run to take someone down, you name it, one can only imagine the tough things that come with the line of work. Oh, and did I forget the whole deal about how one may possibly may have to make some difficult choices while on the job as well? Man, one can only imagine how hard that would be. Additionally, the score by Mark Isham is also very good. It seems to have that 90s sort of feel. Of course that should come as no surprise, since this film was in fact released in the 1990s. Oh, there’s another thing to mention? How about the whole deal of learning to surf, or sky dive, or things like that? One other thing to mention is some of the tips that one could possibly learn when it may come to pursuing certain relationships, and what have you. Okay, maybe some of those tips might not have been the best with certain scenes in that regard in this film. Still, some of those tips might be good. You got me! Oh, and there’s a final thing to mention in the pros section of this film. That is that Point Break has some very good messages about learning to not always listen to the world’s way of thinking. This especially seems true with certain lines, such as, “Why be a servant to the law, when you can work against it?”, or something like that. Sadly, that still seems to be many people’s mindsets, even nowadays, you know? All to say this movie can easily help one realize why doing the right thing is always the best choice to make.
However, there were some flaws that this film seemed to have as well. First off, I understand that this film is rated R. Still, did we need as much crude language in this film? I mean come on! I understand that kids aren’t supposed to watch films like this until they’re older. Still, if movies like this had lessened on the foul language, don’t you think that maybe people would be repeating bad words like those less, and less? Again, just something to think about! Next, some of the relationships, like the one with Johnny Utah, and Tyler Endicot, could ha even tweaked on a little more. Finally, while people may like the ending of this film, in some ways, the ending might have felt a little too rushed. Again, good ending! Still, was there any way that maybe the movie went on for at least a few more minutes, if not more? Again, another thing to think about!
And that’s my review for Point Break. If you didn’t see this film 30 years ago, or shortly after, then you should. It may not quite be a Mission Impossible, or James Bond kind of classic action film. Still, there are plenty of things to enjoy about Point Break. Definitely see it when you get the chance. You may like it yet.
Final Grade: B+
P.S. Happy 30th anniversary to Point Break!
Matthew’s Animated & Live-Action Movie Reviews 