Point Break-Pure Adrenaline Edition (1991)

New York Times
"...[POINT BREAK] reveals [Bigelow's] real talents as a director of fast-paced, high-adrenaline action..." 07/12/1991 p.C12

USA Today
"...Its purely visceral material (surf sounds, skydiving stunt work, a tough indoor shootout midway through) are first-rate..." 07/12/1991 p.4D

Ultimate DVD
4 stars out of 5 -- "POINT BREAK is a big, fun, ridiculous movie that everyone should see at least once." 12/01/2006 p.201

Reel.com 8 of 10
"I caught my first tube today, sir!" With those words as Point Break's surfing FBI agent, Johnny Utah--eclipsing the inane Valley speak of Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure--Keanu Reeves probably sealed his fate in the eyes of the average movie critic. Fifteen years later, he is still a major movie star and a fan favorite, but he rarely catches a break in movie reviews. He is still that guy, that wave riding, surfing G-man, and no one is about to forgive him for it. What people forget is that as silly as Point Break was, it was also a fresh, adrenaline pumped action movie, and its virtues hold fast to this day...There are many pleasures to be had in Point Break, not the least of which is the ridiculous dialogue, which has the unfortunate Reeves spouting surfer slang, while Swayze waxes ridiculous with his greeting-card philosophy: "If you want the ultimate, you've got to be willing to pay the ultimate price. It's not tragic to die doing what you love." It is also an offbeat buddy movie for a time, as Utah bonds with Bodhi and his crew, who accept him into their tribe despite the fact that he is a truly lousy surfer. In fact, that is one of the great things about the movie, the fact that Johnny can't surf and never becomes very good at it, which is far more realistic a scenario than the average action movie will countenance...But the biggest thrills in the movie, by far, are those supplied by the many action sequences. - Pam Grady
 
Chicago Sun-Times 9 of 10
"Point Break" is not the kind of movie where we should spend a lot of time analyzing the motives of the characters. Once Johnny Utah realizes, for example, that Bodhi knows he's an FBI agent - should he really go skydiving with him, and let Bodhi pack the chute? Such questions are fruitless, because the movie has Utah trapped in Bodhi's spell, in which everything - free-falling, surfing, robbing banks - is part of catching the wave of life, looking for that endless ride...Bigelow is an interesting director for this material. She is interested in the ways her characters live dangerously for philosophical reasons. They aren't men of action, but men of thought who choose action as a way of expressing their beliefs. That adds an intriguing element to their characters, and makes the final confrontation in this movie as meaningful as it can be, given the admittedly preposterous nature of the material...Bigelow and her crew are also gifted filmmakers. There's a footchase through the streets, yards, alleys and living rooms of Santa Monica; two skydiving sequences with virtuoso photography, powerful chemistry between the good and evil characters, and an ominous, brooding score by Mark Isham that underlines the mood. The plot of "Point Blank," summarized, invites parody (rookie agent goes undercover as surfer to catch bank robbers). The result is surprisingly effective. - Roger Ebert