The Best Adventure Movies: Point Break

You Are Here:

Home >> A Perfect 10

Q&A: Climbing El Capitan with Conrad Anker, Jimmy Chin, and Ivo Ninov listen
Q&A: Maggie Anthony On Son Eric Volz listen
Q&A: Photographer Danny Clinch listen
Q&A: "Coca Is It!" Author Joshua Hammer listen
Q&A: "Strange Bird" Author Carl Hoffman listen
Out of Bounds: That '70s Guy listen

What kind of dog will make me look manlier? answer
Is there a sport that safely combines my twin passions for guns and kayaks? answer
How come most of the world's cultures enjoy eating goat, but Americans don't? answer

Why do mosquito bites itch? answer
Are elite athletes just lucky genetic mutants? answer
Can women really tolerate cold water better than men? answer

Online Favorites

Special Issues

Photo Galleries

Outside Magazine, June 2005

Outside Goes to the Movies
A Perfect 10
Point Break

By Steven Kotler & The Editors

8. Point Break (1991)
Yeah, it's ridiculous, but we love it anyway. Rookie FBI agent Johnny Utah (Keanu Reeves) and his grizzled partner, Angelo Pappas (Gary Busey), are assigned to infiltrate an elusive crew of surfing criminals led by a Zen bad boy named Bodhi (Patrick Swayze). Reeves's monosyllabic dudespeak makes you wonder if he swallowed a Bill & Ted pill, but who cares? Director Kathryn Bigelow borrows a page from producer James Cameron (her husband at the time), eschewing plot logic to bring us uncomplicated adrenaline in the form of ass-kicking, skydiving shortboarders who, as Pappas puts it, "rip off banks to finance their endless summer."

The action alone makes Point Break exhilarating—the sight of pro surfer Matt Archbold (Swayze's double) dragging his shoulder blades across the curl of a cresting wave is one of the sweetest surf shots in Hollywood history. But underneath the pyrotechnics, it's Utah's evolution from former Corn Belt quarterback to SoCal soul surfer that—we blush to admit—got to us. Thirty minutes in, when Utah and Pappas's boss screams, "Do either of you have anything even remotely interesting to tell me?!" Utah doesn't flinch: "Caught my first tube this morning, sir."

We laughed. But we also understood.

Next Page: The Black Stallion

• Subscribe to Outside and get a FREE Gift!

• Give the gift of Outside Magazine!

• Subscribe to Outside Online's free weekly e-mail newsletter featuring gear reviews, fitness advice, galleries, podcasts, and more.

TODAY'S NEWS UPDATE!
The Gear Junkie: Ski and Snowboard Gear...
By Stephen Regenold Winter is upon us, and with it ski areas across the country are ...