Point Break Pure Adrenaline Edition
August 2008 Reviewed by: Doug Schneider Format: Blu-ray	(all ratings out of 5): Overall Enjoyment Picture Quality Packaged Extras Sound Quality

In 1991, film critic Roger Ebert gave Point Break a three-and-a-half-star rating, just shy of the highest rating he gives. That same year, he reviewed The Silence of the Lambs and gave it the same. Was Ebert out of his mind? Are Point Break and The Silence of the Lambs even in the same league, particularly when Lambs won a whole slew of awards, including the Oscar for Best Picture? In ways, they are in the same league. Point Break might not be a great movie in the same way The Silence of the Lambs is -- it’s certainly not as serious or as somber a tale, and it certainly doesn’t have the depth of acting that Lambs does -- but it’s every bit as enjoyable and much more fun.

Point Break is about a group of bank-robbing surfers led by Bodhi, who’s played by Patrick Swayze. They rob banks for one purpose: to get enough money to surf all around the world. Chasing them is a former college football star turned FBI agent named Johnny Utah (think Joe Montana), played by Keanu Reeves. In 1991, Swayze was a heartthrob and a box-office draw (Dirty Dancing and Ghost came before this movie). Reeves, on the other hand, had done a number of small films, but he was only an up-and-comer. Many feel that his was his breakout role, and, in my opinion, this was Swayze’s last really good role.

Frankly, though, neither of these two is a great actor, but they’re both fine for this kind of movie -- a testosterone-charged action film where men do all kinds of macho things, including surf impossibly huge waves, jump out of airplanes (one without a parachute), go on wild car and foot chases, and basically see how close they can come to dying without crossing completely over. Obviously, this is a far-fetched plot, but it leads to a first-rate action film that doesn’t get tiring even with multiple viewings.

Many people are surprised to learn that Point Break was directed by a woman: Kathryn Bigelow, at that time the wife of James Cameron (Aliens, The Terminator, Titanic). It's so male oriented that you think it must have been made by a man. In 1987, Bigelow made Near Dark, an original, ultra-violent vampire flick that earned critical praise. She has a sharp eye for directing unique, riveting action sequences that are hallmarks of this film.

I had high hopes for the image quality on Blu-ray, but I’m a little disappointed with this release. The image looks good, but it is never extraordinary. Also, at times the colors seem off, though it’s hard to know if that’s due to the original source material or the transfer. In terms of sound quality, it’s at about same standard -- more than reasonable but never approaching reference-grade.

The plentiful extras are quite good, which helps to justify owning this release. There are a number of deleted scenes (very low resolution), three Point Break theatrical trailers (all giving a different feel for the film), and, most important, four short features that give a behind-the-scenes glimpse into how this film was made. In particular, I liked the one called "It’s Make or Break" that features cast and crew and helps to give the most insight into how this film was green-lighted in the first place.

Some may have felt Ebert was off his rocker when he praised Point Break so highly 17 years ago, but I’m not one of them. While Point Break isn’t Oscar material, it is a great film in its own way. It has also stood the test of time and is just as thrilling to watch today as it was in the early '90s. Point Break: Pure Adrenaline Edition is a Blu-ray release well worth owning.

• Go Back