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The online film magazine Combustible Celluloid offers new movie reviews, DVD reviews, film reviews, actor interviews, actress interviews, director interviews, film books and all things cinema related for the thoughtful and passionate. Online for ten years! Over 3000 reviews!

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Point Break (1991)

Rating: 3 1/2 Stars (out of 4)

Surf Wars

By Jeffrey M. Anderson

Kathryn Bigelow's Point Break involves a young FBI agent (Keanu Reeves) who goes undercover as a surfer to catch "The Presidents," a band of bank robbers who dress up as Reagan, Carter, LBJ, and Nixon. But to complicate things, he becomes involved with the spirituality of surfing, as preached by the gang's leader (Patrick Swayze). Director Bigelow is one of America's greatest unsung talents. She has a great eye not only for action, but also for the psychological push and pull behind the action. The key moment of the film comes when Reeves jumps out of a plane without a parachute as his last chance to catch the bad guy. The entire movie is beautifully shot; even the quiet beach scenes between Reeves and his love interest Lori Petty sparkle.

Sadly, Fox's DVD comes with only a trailer and a short "making-of" documentary. In 2006, however, Fox released a new "special edition" with lots more extra stuff for fans. In 2011, a Blu-Ray edition was released.

Buy DVD | Buy Blu-Ray

Trailer | Poster | Soundtrack

Starring: Keanu Reeves, Patrick Swayze, Gary Busey, Lori Petty, John C. McGinley, James LeGros, John Philbin, Bojesse Christopher, Julian Reyes, Daniel Beer, Chris Pedersen, Vincent Klyn, Anthony Kiedis, Dave Olson, Lee Tergesen, Sydney Walsh
Written by: W. Peter Iliff, based on a story by Rick King, W. Peter Iliff
Directed by: Kathryn Bigelow
MPAA Rating: R
Running Time: 117 minutes
Date: May 31, 2001