The ultimate buddy movie? POINT BREAK comes close. Few films can offer the same kind of male bonding found here, as two men on opposite sides of the law find themselves growing close thanks to a shared world view.
On the one side is greenhorn Keanu Reeves, playing FBI agent/slacker Johnny Utah, in possibly his blandest performance ever (it doesn't help that his character is extremely dim-witted to the extent that a bank robbery takes place behind him while he's ordering takeaway). On the other is Patrick Swayze as Bodhi, giving nothing less than an iconic performance as the surfer/extreme sports fan/bank robber extraordinaire. Swayze doesn't say much here, but his performance is all in his eyes, which seem full of an intense sadness at times. It's the kind of turn that makes you sit up and take note.
Elsewhere, the film has highs and lows. The story isn't the most gripping and there's a little too much of the surfing for my liking. It does pick up later on, though, and boasts an absolutely amazing foot chase that I later had to watch a second time just to remind myself how great it was. The supporting cast is so-so, but the film wins merit for the casting of Gary Busey as Reeves' partner; it's great to see Busey on the side of good for once, and he gives a typically intense, scene-chewing turn that I loved to bits. The action stuff, when it comes, is well handled too, with director Bigelow injecting some of her trademark tension into the proceedings.
