Point Break

What feels like an age ago, I sat down to see the rightfully forgotten 2015 remake of Point Break which, if it went big enough with some outlandish extreme sports, could have been a decent flick but fell well short of the mark. The idea of remakes can conjure bad memories but thankfully it was so forgettable one can still enjoy the 1991 original, Point Break, as I did so just recently.

The story follows a young FBI agent (Keanu Reeves) paired alongside an older agent (Gary Busey) to investigate a series of bank robberies along the west coast of the US. With some undercover work, our young FBI agent, Johnny Utah, joins a crew of surfers, led by Bodhi (Patrick Swayze), who might be chasing more than just surf.

If the story sounds familiar, The Fast and Furious practically copied it but with cars ten years later. The undercover cop is young and starts to build a respect for the target, becomes romantically involved with one of the crew, and the climax of both films is very similar. Films about agents going undercover is hardly new though but director Kathryn Bigelow handles the whole thing with ease making for an instantly enjoyable action thrill ride. Sure, Reeves is a little stiff at first but this compliments the free-spirited Swayze who is perfect as the charismatic Bodhi and he raises the film to a whole other level when onscreen. 

Point Break remains a solid action classic over thirty years on from its release and is an easy recommendation for anyone interested. Losing Swayze so soon was a damn shame but he gives a great performance here that will live on and just deserves a little more recognition in Hollywood's list of great villains. He brings more humanity to the role than most and ensures the film lands the ending with confidence thereby solidifying it as one of the greats in the genre. Just look at the remake and you can see how wrong this could have been but Bigelow and the team deliver.