Point Break, 1991

Point Break is a 1991 American action crime film directed by Kathryn Bigelow and written by W. Peter Iliff. It stars Patrick Swayze, Keanu Reeves, Lori Petty and Gary Busey. The film's title refers to the surfing term "point break", where a wave breaks as it hits a point of land jutting out from the coastline.

The film features Reeves as an undercover FBI agent who is tasked with investigating the identities of a group of bank robbers while he develops a complex relationship with the group's leader.

Development of Point Break began in 1986, when Iliff wrote an initial treatment for the film. Bigelow soon developed the script with husband James Cameron, and filming took place four years later. It was shot across the western coast of the continental United States and was officially budgeted at $24 million, before being released for traditional viewing on July 12, 1991.

Point Break opened to a generally positive critical reception and critics praised the relationship between Reeves and Swayze. During its theatrical run, the film grossed over $83.5 million, and has since gained a cult following.[4][5] Following the film's success, Point Break was re-released on Blu-ray on June 14, 2011; it also spawned a remake that was released in 2015.

Plot

Former Ohio State quarterback and rookie FBI agent Johnny Utah (Keanu Reeves) assists experienced agent Angelo Pappas (Gary Busey) in investigating a string of bank robberies by the "Ex-Presidents": a gang of robbers who wear rubber masks of Ronald Reagan, Jimmy Carter, Richard Nixon and Lyndon B. Johnson. Rather than robbing the vault, they only demand the cash the tellers have in their drawers, and are gone within ninety seconds.

Pursuing Pappas's theory that the criminals are surfers, Utah goes undercover to infiltrate the surfing community. He fabricates a personal family tragedy to persuade orphaned surfer and restaurant waitress, Tyler Endicott (Lori Petty) to teach him to surf, after she saves him from drowning during his first attempt at surfing. Through her, he meets Bodhi (Patrick Swayze), the charismatic leader of a gang of surfers consisting of Roach (James LeGros), Grommet (Bojesse Christopher), and Nathanial (John Philbin). The group are initially wary of Utah, but accept him when Bodhi recognizes him as the former college football star who quit the sport due to a knee injury. As he masters surfing, Utah finds himself increasingly drawn to the surfers' adrenaline-charged lifestyle, Bodhi's philosophies, and Tyler. Following a clue retrieved by analyzing toxins found in the hair of one of the bank robbers, Utah and Pappas lead an FBI raid on another gang of surfers, resulting in the deaths of two of them. The raid inadvertently ruins a DEA undercover operation, as those surfers were wanted for separate charges regarding drug dealing, but they are disproven to be the Ex-Presidents.

Watching Bodhi's group surfing, Utah begins to suspect that they are the "Ex-Presidents", noting how close a group they are and the way one of them moons other surfers in the same manner one of the robbers does when leaving a bank. Utah and Pappas stake out a bank and the Ex-Presidents appear. While wearing a Reagan mask, Bodhi leads Utah on a foot chase through the neighborhood, which ends when Utah's old knee injury flares up after jumping into a flood control channel. Despite still having a clear shot, the injured Utah is unwilling to kill Bodhi, and allows him to escape - repeatedly shooting into the air instead.

At a campfire that night, it is confirmed that Bodhi and his gang are the Ex-Presidents. Tyler discovers Utah's FBI badge and angrily terminates their relationship after briefly holding him at gunpoint. Shortly afterwards, Bodhi aggressively recruits Utah into going skydiving with the group and he accepts. After the jump, Bodhi reveals that he knows Utah is an FBI agent and has arranged for his friend Rosie (Lee Tergesen), a non-surfing thug, to hold Tyler hostage. Utah is blackmailed into participating in the Ex-Presidents' last bank robbery of the summer. As a result, Grommet, along with an off-duty cop (Anthony Mangano) and a bank guard (John Apicella), who both attempt to foil the robbery—are killed. Outraged by Grommet's death, Bodhi knocks Utah out and leaves the scene.

Defying their superior and FBI director, Ben Harp (John C. McGinley) who arrests Utah for the armed robbery, Pappas and Utah head to the airport where Bodhi, Roach, and Nathanial are about to leave for Mexico. During a shootout, Pappas and Nathanial are killed and Roach is seriously wounded. With Roach aboard, Bodhi forces Utah onto the plane at gunpoint. Once airborne and over their intended drop zone, Bodhi and Roach put on their parachutes and jump from the plane, leaving Utah to take the blame. With no other parachutes available, Utah jumps from the plane with Bodhi's gun and intercepts him. After landing safely, Utah's knee gives out again, allowing Bodhi to escape Utah's grasp. Bodhi meets with Rosie and releases Tyler. Roach dies of his wounds, and Bodhi and Rosie leave with the money, with Tyler and Johnny watching on.

Nine months later, Utah tracks Bodhi to Bells Beach in Victoria where a record storm is producing lethal waves. This is an event Bodhi had talked about experiencing, calling it the "50-Year Storm". Utah attempts to bring Bodhi into custody, but Bodhi refuses. During a brawl in the surf, Utah manages to handcuff himself to Bodhi, who begs Utah to release him so he can ride the once-in-a-lifetime wave. Knowing Bodhi will not come back alive, Utah releases him, bids him farewell, and sees him step towards the wave. While the authorities watch Bodhi surf to his death, Utah walks away, throwing his FBI badge into the ocean.