Point Break (1991) * * *

Directed by:  Kathryn Bigelow

Starring:  Keanu Reeves, Patrick Swayze, Gary Busey, Lori Petty, John C. McGinley

The Ex-Presidents are a group of bank robbers who confound local authorities and the FBI.   They enter banks wearing masks of former presidents, swiftly and efficiently take the money they need, and vanish quickly.   One veteran FBI agent named Pappas (Busey) has a theory:  "The Ex-Presidents are surfers,"  To his new rookie partner Johnny Utah (Reeves), the idea may seem ludicrous, until Pappas shows him a robber's tan line caught on camera and a strand of hair containing contaminants found at a popular California surfing beach.   Another clue?  Once the summer ends, so do the robberies.   The surfers rob banks to finance their surfing, and are on a quest to bankroll their endless summer.

Since Johnny is young enough, he infiltrates the surfing world to identify and track the Ex-Presidents.  It doesn't take long, for the leader is Bodhi (Swayze), who approaches his life of surfing and crime with equal Zen.   He takes a liking to Johnny, knows of Johnny's college football past, and soon brings him along on adrenaline-pumping excursions like skydiving and, of course, surfing.  Johnny even falls for Bodhi's ex-girlfriend Tyler (Petty), who shows Johnny the ins and outs of the surfing culture, and of course how to surf. 

Kathryn Bigelow, who would later win the first and so far only Best Director Oscar awarded to a female filmmaker, directs the action sequences with skill and Point Break has first-class production values which carry it along.    Is it preposterous at times?   Sure, especially when Johnny leaps out of a plane without a parachute in order to chase Bodhi, who has a parachute.   Would it surprise you that Johnny manages to catch up with Bodhi, land on him, and engage in fisticuffs while plummeting hundreds of miles per hour towards the ground?   If this does shock you, you're watching the wrong movie. 

But, there is also an energy to the performances as well.   Swayze has charisma and charm enough to lure the novice Johnny into his world.    Some of Reeves' readings are a bit awkward ("I am an FBI agent!), but we see the genesis of future action roles for him.   And Busey gives his best performance since Lethal Weapon as a burnout who finds purpose when his protege actually believes his story. 
All of this adds up to satisfying and effective action film with an ending that hits some poignant notes.  Bodhi finds what he was looking for his whole life: the perfect wave.   And we feel a bit of pity that it happens when it does.