Point Break (1991) - More fun that it deserves to be

On paper, 1991's 'Point Break' shouldn't work.  Or at least it should have long since been forgotten and confined to cinematic oblivion.  However, for some reason, everything about it just worked.  It worked back then and it still works now.  Possibly down to its two main leads (the highly bankable - back then, anyway - Keaun Reeves and Patrick Swayze), but also down to its sheer rawness.

The eighties gave us action films with burly musclemen wiping out scores of faceless henchmen, whereas the nineties tried to be a little more 'grounded' with its action - but only a little! 'Point Break' is about a young FBI agent (Reeves) who infiltrates a gang of bank robbers by learning to surf alongside them.  However, the one thing he didn't bargain on was the leader of the gang (Swayze) and how charismatic he is - can Reeves really bring himself to arrest him?

To say this is an 'all out' action film would be a bit of an overstatement.  It's more of an 'action/thriller/cops and robbers film.  Either way, whatever it is - it's awesome!  It's an example of a film that - for some reason - everything comes together perfectly and it's a completely easy watch from beginning to end.

The thing I always found with movies set in the eighties (and, to a degree, the nineties) is that they always seemed to 'start quicker,' or at least get going sooner.  Today, half the movie would be taken up with 'character building' and getting to know everyone's motivation.  I don't know whether that means that eighties/nineties films had more cliched characters, but here all characters are very easy to 'get behind' from the moment we meet them, meaning we can cut to the 'good stuff' a hell of a lot sooner.

And the good stuff is good indeed.  The 'action' may not involve mowing down mini armies of henchmen, but the set-pieces are awesome and have even been imitated and even lampooned a few times over the years ('Hot Fuzz' I'm looking at you!).  This is an example of a film that could never be made today.  They'd be too much political correctness and weird attempts at adding a 'message' into the film that the original 'Point Break' just didn't need to be amazing popcorn fun.  Did you notice I said 'original?' Yes, they tried to remake it, so just make sure you ignore the abomination that is the 2015 remake of this classic.

Special mention to Gary Busey who plays Reeves' partner - always strikes me as a 'forgotten, but integral' part of this film's success.

10/10 The Monty Python Knights of Camelot are currently looking for this