Point Break (1991)

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Directed by Kathryn Bigelow.

Starring Gary Busey, John C. McGinley, Lori Petty, Keanu Reeves, Patrick Swayze.

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Kathryn Bigelow's fourth action film follows FBI agent Johnny Utah (Keanu Reeves) as he goes undercover to infiltrate a cache of Southern California surfers suspected of robbing banks. Utah, a former football player, is assigned to Los Angeles. There, four bank robbers, who wear rubber masks and call themselves "Ex-Presidents," have executed a series of successful robberies which embarrassingly have the FBI stumped. Utah, and his partner Pappas (Gary Busey) suspect that the robbers are surfers and hatch a plan for catching them. ~ Linda Rasmussen, All Movie Guide

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Reviews and discussions

Trailer of the Day: Street Kings
by SpoutBlog in SpoutBlog on spout.com

hasn't rated it.

Was this review helpful? [Be the first to tell us!]
"Oh, Keanu Reeves, must you continue playing cops? I’d rather you did more Shakespeare, in which you’re actually more believable. But no, after Point Break (I consider FBI agents to be cops) and Speed, you have to go and do Street Kings and try to make us accept you as one of the hardest vice detectives to ever grace the big screen. Want a cookie? Or an Oscar? Even if you do pull off the equivalent of what Ethan Hawke did in Training Day, you’re not going to get the notice of the Academy. The only thing keeping you from being the least likely actor to be taken seriously as a tough undercover officer is the existence of Paul Walker, whose performance in The Fast and the Furious makes you look like Dirty Harry. Speaking of Training Day and The Fast and the Furious, the screenwriter behind those two movies, David Ayer, is the director of Street Kings. Fortunately, he didn’t write this one. The guys who did write it are L.A. Confidential novelist James Ellroy, who also came up with the ... " [More]

Re:Best Heist films and also th ...
by Risselada in Top 5

is neutral about it.

"You mean when one guy throws a large dog at another guy?! Ridiculous! " [More]

Re:Best Heist films and also th ...
by Jymkata in Top 5

liked it.

"There are a lot of movies that I love that have heists in them but they are usually a means to an end and the bulk of the film usually deals with the fallout of said heist. Straight up heist films I love are : Jean Pierre Melville's stylish and masterful Le Cercle Rouge and Un Flic. The Hot Rock and The Taking of Pelham One Two Three (good call, Rizzo) are two of my favorite seventies Heist movies. One Heist film I just love is The Great Train Robbery - there is one perfectly choreographed scene that involves a lanky Donald Sutherland (he was so awesome in these quirky roles) and an impossible-to-get key that is a site to behold. Just recently I saw The Brinks Job and The Day They Robbed The Bank of England on TCM and I liked them both (but i do like Peter Falk and Aldo Rey respectively so that might have something to do with it). Finally, even though it is not a heist film I love what DePalma did in Mission Impossible with Tom Cruise's famous spy scenes. DePalma always cou ... " [More]

Point Break
by Risselada in Risselada Blog

is neutral about it.

Was this review helpful? [Be the first to tell us!]
"Point BreakTo all of you out there who have listed this movie as a guilty pleasure, you should feel guilty. Real guilty.I gave this movie a 5/10 and that probably would have been even lower if I hadn't been watching it with Adam who said this was one of his favorite "verve" movies when a kid. He used to watch it every day as a kid wanted to emulate the lead characters apparently.Ok I can see how you could get sucked up in this movie, but it just makes me feel so dirty. It's a bunch of brainless macho stupidity.Yay guns, and cops and robbers, and shirtless football! Ok, there's a small portion of me that doesn't say that sarcastically, but only a small portion.It may be a funny line in the movie, but I think this movie is for those who are young, dumb, and full of come.Ridiculous.Rating: 5/10 " [More]

Point Break - 1991
by drknstormy in drknstormy Blog

liked it.

Was this review helpful? [Be the first to tell us!]
"In 1991 Point Break was a fun movie. I was barely a teenager so I'll comment on it like it's 1991. It's kind of cool. " [More]

Re: WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE ACTIO ...
by Jymkata in ACTION MOVIES ROCK

liked it.

"I have a fondness for all the 80's and early 90's action movies but I really love Die Hard, Lethal Weapon, Lethal Weapon 2, and Point Break . " [More]

Re: Top 5 Movies Directed By Women
by Jymkata in Filmspotting

liked it.

"I had to think hard about this because I couldn't figure out why it was so hard for me to answer about female directors. I was hoping it wasn't some unconscious chauvinistic tedencies on my part causing me to devalue movies directed by females. I actually think that many of the female directed movies of the last decade or so tend to be "woman's pictures" that hold little interest for me in terms of style or story. That being said, there are some movies directed by women that I would rate highly regardless of who helms it. Ida Lupino was a real pioneer in female directing (not the first but the best known early director) and she directed a really nifty film noir - 1) The Hitch-hikerThe '80s are generally mocked as a shallow time in film, but at least women were given a chance to direct mainstream films and a few of the movies are among my favorite 80's and early 90's films:Amy Heckerling - (4 tie) Fast Times at Ridgemont High, Look Who's Talking, and Clue ... " [More]

Re: Top 5 Guilty Pleasure films
by josephkuzma in Top 5

is neutral about it.

"My list is more guilty pleasures as actors, not films. I could probably make Top 5 lists out of each of these people and more... but here goes: 1. Sylvester Stallone: Rocky II, III & IV. I don't include the first because it's a great movie and I am not ashamed of liking it. I didn't include V because it's crap. And I haven't seen Rocky Balboa so I can't say one way or the other. Also Cop Land.2. Arnold Schwarzenegger's 80s (and early 90s) catalog defines guilty pleasure over and over. I hate that I like Twins, Terminator, The Running Man, Total Recall, Predator. However, I will proudly say that I like T2. Now if only T3 had been watchable...3. Keanu Reeves - Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure/Bogus Journey, Matrix: Reloaded/Revolutions (the first wasn't a guilty pleasure in my book), Point Break , Feeling Minnesota, My Own Private Idaho, The Devil's Advocate, The Watcher.I could almost combine 4 - 5 and some of them probably aren't ... " [More]

Re: Top 5 Guilty Pleasure films
by Windbreaker in Top 5

loved it.

"Assassination Bureau... sweet!I have a rotating list, but here's mine as of tonight in alphabetical order.1. Above the Law2. Basic Instinct3. Marked for Death4. Point Break5. Toxic Avenger " [More]

Re: Top 5 Guilty Pleasure films
by paul in Top 5

hasn't rated it.

"Point Break - Don't put me in a cage, Johnny Utah.Notting Hill - Hugh gets the girl (Julia Roberts) and gets to run his book shop. I feel so happy.Bull Durham - It now plays like a movie made for middle-aged, under-sexed women. But it's fun.The Outsiders - An all-star cast at its worst. But still, Dallas Winston should be alive today if not for those damned cops.Scary Movie 3 - It's just plain funny. Especially the Pamela Anderson part.P.S. Tmoney, you should feel no guilt over loving Snakes on a Plane. " [More]

Review by All Movie Guide

All Movie Guide

is neutral about it.

Point Break is a good example of a wholly flawed piece of filmmaking that still manages to entertain. The screenplay sputters, veers and stumbles for almost two hours, Keanu Reeves gives a god-awful performance, and the film's veneer of a spiritual agenda is almost deplorably laughable. However, there are enough interesting quirks and decent action sequences to make it a howl to watch. Red Hot Chili Peppers frontman Anthony Kiedis and the young Tom Sizemore make memorable cameos, and as the lead villain, Patrick Swayze is an over-the-top riot. The film might have worked better had it stayed within the realm of action camp, instead of attempting to be taken seriously: Kathryn Bigelow's screenplay and direction are painfully all over the map. Still, there are some stunning stunts and terrific surfing action, and excellent MTV style camerawork that makes for adrenaline-filled fun -- despite the fact that the film is by and large ridiculous and inane. ~ Mike DiBella, All Movie Guide

Tags: beach , fear , friendship , robbery , discovery
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