[Heist Movies] Point Break (1991)

[Kyle]

I watched Point Break this weekend. Did you? Let's get into it!

Note: This thread is to discuss heist movies that are currently streaming and that, hopefully, you've recently watched-- like in the last six months or so. If you haven't watched it, or don't remember it really, really well- please go rewatch it and join the discussion. If you have seen it- let's get into it!

Our next movie will be 1999 version of The Thomas Crown Affair starring Pierce Brosnan and Thor's Mom. We'll discuss it in two weeks on September 24.

[Zen]

Dang... I forgot that you'd put this off until this week... I'll try to watch it tonight!

[Kyle]

[Zen]

So... is posting on this happening? I still found the acting ... well, the roles that the two leads are cast in traditionally, so not that bad, other than the fact that thy frequently can't deliver lines worth a damn. (Petty is good.) The biggest issue I have with the story is the Gary Busey character. Far too much of the plot depends on him being an idiot...

[Kyle]

Yeah- I was waiting to see if anyone watched it. Looks like it's you and me, Zen-- which probably means we'll stop heist movies since there's not much interest. But that's cool. I got to watch Jackie Brown, and got to cross Point Break off my gap list. So on to my thoughts:

I really did not like this movie. To begin with- the acting was atrocious. I'm usually a Keanu defender because I think he's actually a good actor in the right project. But this is early Keanu (he looks like a baby!) and he's clearly playing "Ted joined the FBI, dude!" His line readings were terrible and it made me question Kathrine Bigelow as a director-- were those the choices she really wanted to go with? And I didn't find Patrick Swayze any better. Bodie was just as one-note of a character, if not more. It's like for every line he was told, "Say it like you're looking into the infinite maw of nirvana!" I thought Lori Petty tried really hard to make something good from what she was given, but all she was really given was "You're the girl that doesn't serve a purpose."

And I never thought I'd say this: Gary Busey was the best thing in this movie BY FAR. This was back when Busey was apparently half-sane, because he's actually acting. And his performance and acting chops are so superior to everyone else in this movie that it took me out of the movie itself. He was great, but I agree with you that his character had to be an idiot for this movie to work.

Which brings me to the plot, which was just dumb and relied on the greatest series of coincidences ever to even get Keanu into his "undercover" roll. And can we talk about that? I know this was pre-internet as we know it, but why are you taking a nationally famous college football player, who has joined the FBI, and using him as your undercover agent. None of that made sense. None of it. On top of that, none of the stuff about the bank robbers made sense either, or how they were "so good" that they'd avoided detection for years. And to top it off, we have the rival FBI agents who are basically the Heathers in suits with badges? So bad. So, so bad.

And it was boring. Which was not what I was expecting from the hype that goes with this movie.

Conclusion: I really, really did not like it.

[Kyle]

All of that aside, Zen- if you want to watch The Thomas Crown Affair remake this week, I'll watch it too and we can talk about it next week.

[Tahlvin]

Now, now, it did give you the wonderful scene of Keanu firing his weapon into the air. Without that, Hot Fuzz would not have been half so enjoyable!

[Kyle]

[Zen]

And there was one classic line early in the move.

Johnny Utah's new boss ends his introductory reaming about why he was sent this worthless rookie with:

"Guess we must just have ourselves an asshole shortage, huh?"

To which, Utah responds under his breath:

"Not so far."

That was actually a good one.

[Kyle]

I'm not saying it's not quotable. It is. So's Napoleon Dynamite. That doesn't make either of these into good movies.

[Zen]

The idea of a washed up QB being forgotten doesn't bother me. He didn't complete college as the starter if I remember correctly, so by the time he was done with college he was old news, then he went to law school, so his Rose Bowl years would have been something like six or so years ago, with the movie set in 1989, so early 80s, going to the FBI and that being totally unknown isn't that far fetched. He was totally out of the spotlight by the time he finished law school. Yesterday's news. His knee was toast in like, 1985. He never even kissed the big time.

[Zen]