Point Break (1991)

An F.B.I. Agent goes undercover to catch a gang of surfers who may be bank robbers.

Director:

Kathryn Bigelow

Writers:

Rick King (story), W. Peter Iliff (story)

Stars:

Patrick Swayze, Keanu Reeves, Gary Busey

1 win & 2 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Patrick Swayze	...	Bodhi
Keanu Reeves	...	Johnny Utah
Gary Busey	...	Pappas
Lori Petty	...	Tyler
John C. McGinley	...	Ben Harp (as John McGinley)
James Le Gros	...	Roach
John Philbin	...	Nathanial
Bojesse Christopher	...	Grommet
Julian Reyes	...	Alvarez
Daniel Beer	...	Babbit
Chris Pedersen	...	Bunker
Vincent Klyn	...	Warchild
Anthony Kiedis	...	Tone
Dave Olson	...	Archbold
Lee Tergesen	...	Rosie

Storyline

In Los Angeles, California, a gang of bank robbers call themselves The Ex-Presidents. commit their crimes while wearing masks of ex-Presidents Reagan, Carter, Nixon, and Johnson. The F.B.I. believes that the members of the gang could be surfers, and send young Agent Johnny Utah undercover at the beach to mix with the surfers and gather information. Utah meets surfer Bodhi, and gets drawn into the lifestyle of his new friend.

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Plot Keywords:

surfer | bank robbery | title directed by female | male bonding | undercover | 

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Taglines:

27 banks in three years. Anything to catch the perfect wave!

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Genres:

Action | Crime | Thriller

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for violence, language and brief nudity

Did You Know?

Trivia

When Bodhi (Patrick Swayze) is introduced to Johnny Utah (Keanu Reeves) on the beach, he remarks that Utah's surfboard reminds him of a '57 Chevy he used to have. Swayze previously drove a '57 Chevy in Dirty Dancing (1987).

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Goofs

When Johnny throws away his badge after leaving Bohdi at the beach during "possibly the worst storm in Australia's history" the sky behind him is blue.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Shooting Instructor: [Agent Utah finishes his gun range test] 100%, Utah. Good job!

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Alternate Versions

In the Canada version, approximately two seconds were cut when Utah was talking to Harp in Harp's office.

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Connections

Featured in WatchMojo: Top 10 On-Foot Movie Chases (2014)

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Soundtracks

Down to the Wire
Performed by Little Caesar
Written by Ronald Curtis Young, Jimmy Haynes aka Apache, Fidel Angel Paniagua, Lauren Douglas Molinare,
Thomas Nielson Morris
Produced by Mike Clink
Courtesy of DGC Records

User Reviews

An under-rated classic

Point Break is one of those films that everybody loves, but that nobody actually talks about all that often. It is a film that if you mention it in conversation, everyone else around is bound to say how much they enjoyed it.

The film's two main assets are unexpected ones, in the form of the direction and the script. The direction by Kathryn Bigelow is nothing short of excellent. Her handling of the action and suspense scenes is exciting and riveting. The two sky-diving scenes are brilliant as is the foot chase through the streets (and houses) of the city. The script, by W. Peter Illif, is also very good and the best thing about the film. The plot is multi-layered and has an original relationship between the hero and the villain. The way the story resolves itself and the ultimate resolutions is excellent, by the standards of most Hollywood action films.

This film deserves to be remembered as one of the better actioners of the nineties, not up there with Die Hard 2/3 or Speed, but better than 90% of the action junk made nowadays. At least this film has a plot.

Details

Country:

Japan USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

12 July 1991 (USA)

Also Known As:

Johnny Utah

Filming Locations:

Neptune's Net - 42505 Pacific Coast Highway, Malibu, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$24,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$8,514,616, 14 July 1991

Gross USA:

$43,218,387

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$83,531,958

Company Credits

Production Co:

Largo Entertainment, JVC Entertainment Networks

Technical Specs

Runtime:

122 min

Sound Mix:

70 mm 6-Track (70 mm prints) Dolby SR (35 mm prints) DTS (5.1)

Color:

Color (Deluxe)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1