Thursday, March 10, 2016

Point Break

Not unlike Keanu Reeves himself in the film, Point Break is as dumb as a bag of rocks... but gloriously so. Directed by Kathryn Bigelow (Zero Dark Thirty, The Hurt Locker), the 1991 film casting Reeves as an undercover FBI agent looking for bank-robbing surfers led by the charming Bodhi (Patrick Swayze) has no illusions about what kind of movie it is. A pure B-movie action flick about surfing and sky diving, Point Break proves to be better than the sum of its parts.

Throw in Gary Busey and Lori Petty and you've got the makings of a complete disaster and unwatchable trainwreck. Yet, somehow, Bigelow and company pull it off by embracing the sheer ridiculousness of what we see unfold (something the best-forgotten recent remake failed to understand) set around some well-shot action sequences. The result isn't Shakespeare, but Point Break works as an enjoyable action bromance between cop and robber who, in another life, could have been the best of friends. And its very existence inspires Hot Fuzz two of its best moments.

The film has been released several times on both DVD and Blu-ray, but in terms of special features there isn't much to talk about here other than very basic short behind-the-scenes featurettes and a handful of deleted scenes.

[Warner Home Video, $14.98]

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