The script for Point Break had been kicking around for a while. Originally titled ‘Johnny Utah’ and followed an FBI agent who goes undercover to catch a gang of surfers who may be an infamous gang of bank robbers known as The ex-Presidents. James Cameron had been attached to helm but he was deep in prep for Terminator 2. Instead the job went to what would soon be his ex-wife Kathryn Bigelow who had made an impact with her Jamie Lee Curtis starrer ‘Blue Steel’ the year before.
It was Bigelow who came up with the idea of casting Keanu Reeves in the title role but was met with opposition that an actor who had been known for playing a spaced out slacker on the Bill & Ted films would have any credibility as an action star. They need not have worried as he fitted the role perfectly. Playing opposite him would be the late Patrick Swayze whose action credentials were assured after ‘Road House’ and ‘Next of Kin’. Supporting them was Lori Petty who appeared mostly in a string of TV shows but her distinctive look was far removed from the producers blonde beach babe image that would have seemed to be the obvious one for the surfer love interest. To this would be added Gary Busey and even back then, if the archive featurette on this new release disc is anything to go by was, well let’s say, unstable.
Having a woman direct an action film was something of a first for a Hollywood film but she handles the sequences with aplomb. Whether it be the surfing or the sky diving it looks fantastic and yes Swayze really does his own skydiving – once only under orders from the films financiers and their concerns. It didn’t stop him because on his days away from filming he still did it unbeknown to the producers. Everyone on the cast went through fight training, everyone that is except Anthony Kiedis lead singer with the Red Hot Chilli Peppers, who excitedly rocked up on set for a big fight scene only for the fight co-ordinator to have his character knocked out in one punch for failing to come to the fight class.
Released on 22nd November 1991 mere months after the second Bill & Ted film and did well earning $83m and a sequel was planned for 1993 but the studio scrapped it. Point Nreak saw a brief revival in surfer films though none had anywhere near its success. Instead it’s influence was most obviously referenced by Nick Frost’s cop character in Hot Fuzz. It was an obvious film to remake with more extreme sports but the 2015 version with a lacklustre cast failed to capture the lightning in a bottle of the original.
This disc re-release sees the film on 4K UHD for the first time and the surf scenes look magnificent but where the disc does disappoint is its bonus features which includes additional Scenes, and featurettes It’s Make or Break, Ride the Wave, Adrenaline Junkies, On Location: Malibu, Stills Gallery and the original trailer. The two-disc 4K UHD special collector’s edition, packaged with a premium O-ring also contains an exclusive, limited-edition poster and four art cards. Both this edition and a standalone Blu-ray release will include more than 45 minutes of bonus features.
All of these are archive features from previous issues of the disc and a directors commentary would have been an essential for this 4K UHD version. Nonetheless Point Break remains one of the decent early 90’s actioner that set its star on a course for the rest of his career as an action star in Speed, The Matrix and John Wick.
related feature : Mark Dacascos making Keanu Reeves laugh in John Wick 3…….
related feature : ‘The Raid 2’ director Gareth Evans reveals how he made those insane action scenes
Here’s the Pont Break trailer……
Point Break is on 4K UHD, Blu-ray, DVD and digital on demand 5th August 2024 from Icon Film Distribution
