There's no point pretending that Point Break isn't an insanely cheesy and arguably homoerotic foray into the action genre, but there's something so innocent and sincere about the whole thing that it has firmly carved itself out a place in the pantheon of cult films. Indeed, the relationship between FBI rookie Johnny Utah (Keanu Reeves) and Bodie (Patrick Swayze) remains a constant talking point for fans of the movie all these years later. Whatever is going on beneath the surface (and you can read into the subtext as little or as much as you like), Point Break is still one of the most exciting action flicks of the '90s. "Adrenaline-fueled" is the term that springs to mind when reliving the masterful set-pieces that Kathryn Bigelow - of The Hurt Locker and Zero Dark Thirty fame - assembles for this surf-based action drama. Reeves' Johnny Utah is the insanely incompetent undercover cop who finds himself infiltrating a surf gang (led by Swayze) suspected of being bank robbers; the resulting "drama" is hooky and overblown (endearing instead of off-putting, though), whilst the action - shot and edited to perfection - will have you hooked to your seat. There are heist scenes, shoot-outs, surf sequences and sky dives - what more could you want? Gary Busey, you say? Done!
Sam Hill is an ardent cinephile and has been writing about film professionally since 2008. He harbours a particular fondness for western and sci-fi movies.
