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 | robbery | 

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Taglines:

Point Break: 100% Pure Adrenaline!

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Genres:

Action | Crime | Thriller

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Certificate:

14A

Did You Know?

Trivia

The podcast Quantum Recast (2020) took Point Break out of 1991 and recast it in the year 2015 with relevant actors from that year, in Quantum Recast: Point Break - 2015: Let's Flip this Remake (2021)

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Goofs

During the final skydiving scene, Utah jumps from the plane without any goggles. During the dive, goggles can be visibly seen in certain shots while disappearing during close-ups.

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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

The 15-rated UK cinema version was trimmed by 25 secs to obtain the lower rating by the BBFC. There were five cuts to remove bullet impacts, cuts to shots of a naked woman being fired at during the house raid and several cuts to remove aggressive strong language. The cuts were restored the following year when the distributors opted for an 18 certificate for the video release. This same cut was resubmitted in 2011 and received a 15 certificate.

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Connections

Referenced in RiffTrax Live: Sharknado (2014)

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Soundtracks

7 and 7 Is
Performed by Love
Written by Arthur Lee
Produced by Jac Holzman, Marc Abramson, Paul A. Rothchild (as Paul Rothchild),
Bruce Botnick, Arthur Lee
Courtesy of Elektra Entertainment
By Arrangement with Warner Special Products

User Reviews

Words of praise

I must have seen this film a dozen times now, and I'm not going to stop watching it until I'm well and truly sick of it - it's just superb.

Certain sequences are stunning - the camera work during the chase and free fall scenes leave you breathless, and the surfing footage is excellent. The acting is generally good, particularly Busey as a veteran FBI agent, but Keanu's usual expressionless vocals and face disappoint. The script is sharp and witty. And the stunts really shine, particularly the Bond-style psycho skydiving near the end.

This is, in my opinion, a very underrated film which deserved better from the critics.

Details

Country:

USA Japan

Language:

English

Release Date:

12 July 1991 (Canada)

Also Known As:

Extrême limite

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