I believe that "Point Break" is a guilty pleasure for many of us. It's the kind of film that you really can't help but enjoy in its vibrance of adrenaline and testosterone. It is perhaps a little surprising, then, that it was directed by a woman: Kathryn Bigelow; who in recent years has cemented herself among the greatest action directors active today. Though I still think "Point Break" is her greatest film. Johnny Utah (Keanu Reeves) is a former quarterback, now rookie FBI-agent assigned to investigate a series of bank robberies along the American westcoast. Utah's colleague Angelo Pappas (another great name: played with standard Gary Busey energy) suspects that a group of surfer's might be responsible for the crimes. Johnny infiltrates the gang of dedicated adrenaline-searching youngsters. Soon he finds himself drawn to his surfing mentor Tyler (Lori Petty) and especially to her ex-boyfriend; the philosophical Bodhi (Patrick Swayze). "Point Break" is the ultimate bromance-flick and it brings out the best of both Swayze and Reeves. But we're supposed to talk about the names of characters here: Johnny Utah is most likely the greatest name ever given to a character in a film. Keanu Reeves may not be the best actor in the world, but Johnny Utah makes it certain that his legacy will always carry on. Naming characters after American states has been popular for a long time: Nevada Smith, Indiana Jones, etc. But no other name carries itself with such an air of supreme ridiculousness as Johnny Utah.
