Product: Point Break [VHS] (1991)
Rating: 4.0
"Punk, Quarterback punk..."
Generally panned by critics upon its release, Point Break has gone on to enjoy something of a minor cult following among action film fans who enjoy its breathlessly choreographed action sequences involving daring bank heists, car chases, skydiving and, of course, surfing - one of the film's most important selling points. The film came along after Patrick Swayze's phenomenal success with Ghost and he went completely in the opposite direction with this film. Point Break also proved to be a warm-up for Keanu Reeves who would become a full-fledged action hero with Speed a few years later.Point Break trots out and downright revels in stereotypes: Utah is the all-American good guy, Pappas is the burn out cop and they are constantly being chewed out by their jerk-off boss (McGinley) for their screwball antics. Surprisingly, it's Swayze's Zen master/surfer/bank robber that doesn't fall into an easy stereotype and comes across as the most interesting, charismatic character in the entire movie. And you have to give the credit to Swayze and his oddly fascinating performance. There is a nice scene where he tells Utah his philosophy of surfing, "It's a state of mind. It's that place where you lose yourself and find yourself." We find ourselves rooting not for Reeves' bland FBI agent but Swayze's thrillseeking surfer.Point Break is the epitome of a guilty pleasure: to dumb to defend rationally but with action sequences too cool to dismiss totally. It's a big, loud comic book of a movie and it knows it and has the conviction to go for it. But is it worth purchasing on DVD if you already own a copy?First up are eight deleted scenes that include more footage of Utah trying to surf. We also see him get more grief from his boss for his undercover work. There are other little bits of excised footage that doesn't really amount to all that much."It's Make or Break" is a retrospective featurette. Busey, Petty and Swayze all contribute new interviews for this DVD and talk about their experiences making the movie."Ride the Wave" examines the spirituality of surfing. The ocean is a double-edged sword - at once very beautiful but also very dangerous. This extra also takes a brief look at the surfer culture."Adrenaline Junkies" examines the exciting stunts staged in the movie. Like his character, Swayze was into skydiving but the studio did not want him to do it. However, if you look at the first skydiving sequence, he really jumped out of the plane!"On Location: Malibu" is a more light-hearted extra as two of the Ex-Presidents (who were actual surfers) John Philbin and Bojesse Christopher take us on a mini-tour of key locations in Malibu used in the movie. They crack jokes and reminisce about key scenes.Also included are three trailers and a behind-the-scenes stills gallery.