Greatest Film Scenes
and Moments



Point Break (1991)

 



Written by Tim Dirks

Title Screen
Movie Title/Year and Scene Descriptions
Screenshots

Point Break (1991)

In director Kathryn Bigelow's action cult film about a robbery investigation of a group of suspected thieves (surfers) - hence the film's title 'Point Break' (a surfing term referring to the location of waves breaking at the coastline):

  • the ongoing bank-robbery investigation in Southern California by seasoned FBI agent Angelo Pappas (Gary Busey) and rookie, undercover FBI agent Johnny Utah (Keanu Reeves), an ex-Ohio State Univ. football player
  • the scene of Utah's harsh chastisement for being inexperienced and cocky by FBI Director Ben Harp (John C. McGinley): ("D'you know how we nail the bad guys, Utah? By crunching data, good crime-scene work, good lab work, and, most importantly, good data-based analysis....You're a real blue flame special, aren't ya, son? Young, dumb and full of cum, I know. What I don't know is how you got assigned out here to LA with us. I mean, hell, I guess we must just have ourselves an asshole shortage, huh?")
  • the robberies were a string of 90-second bank thefts by a group of four robbers nicknamed the "Ex-Presidents' - because the stickups were committed by masked robbers impersonating former US presidents, including Ronald Reagan, Richard Nixon ("I'm not a crook!"), Lyndon B. Johnson, and Jimmy Carter; one of the robbers always 'mooned' the bank (with "THANK YOU!" inscribed on his butt) as they left the robbery scene
  • to infiltrate a gang of surfers who were suspected of committing the bank heists, Utah kept pestering restaurant waitress Tyler Endicott (Lori Petty): ("l need you to teach me...l want to do what you do") and finally convinced the orphaned surfer to give him surfing lessons
FBI Agent Angelo Pappas
(Gary Busey)
Tyler Endicott (Lori Petty)
Bodhi (Patrick Swayze)
  • Utah was soon introduced to a surfing gang's leader named Bodhi (Patrick Swayze) - conveniently the charismatic head of the thieves: "That's Bodhi. They call him Bodhisattva. He's a modern savage. He's a real searcher...The ride! The ultimate ride"; his three pals included Roach (James LeGros), Grommet (Bojesse Christopher), and Nathanial (John Philbin)
  • a bond slowly began to develop between Utah and Bodhi, in a scene when Bodhi described the "spiritual" nature of surfing and the sea: "So, uh, you still haven't figured out what riding waves is all about, have you? lt's a state of mind. lt's that place where you lose yourself and find yourself. You don't know it yet, but you've got it"
  • during Pappas' and Utah's stake-out of a bank at 10:30 in the morning, Pappas was reading a Calvin and Hobbes newspaper comic strip, and hungrily urged Utah to get a sandwich order (two meatball sandwiches for himself); when Utah brought back the order from a nearby shop, Pappas declared: ("l'm so hungry l could eat the ass off a dead rhino. l should've asked for three"), and in the confusion they were distracted from the gang's robbery in progress across the street
  • in a suspenseful foot-chase sequence after the robbery, Utah pursued the masked Reagan thief/Bodhi through a residential neighborhood (via back alleyways, lawns, and over fences and other obstacles, and actually through two homes), and in one shocking moment, Bodhi threw a growling pit-bull at Utah; when Utah injured his knee after jumping over a high wall, he pulled out his gun and on the ground threatened to shoot - but then after a long face-off, he decided to let Bodhi go and fired straight up into the air in frustration
Exciting Chase Sequence
  • the scene of Tyler's discovery of Utah's undercover role after finding his FBI badge; Bodhi had also learned of Utah's role as an FBI agent
  • the first skydiving sequence (Utah joined the gang of four) - a set-up for the second more suspenseful skydiving scene later
  • the sequence of the Ex-Presidents' last bank robbery of the summer, in which they forced Bodhi to participate, while Tyler was kidnapped and held hostage; the heist resulted in two deaths at the bank, and the killing of Grommet
  • before boarding the gang's (Bodhi, Roach, and Nathanial) getaway plane bound for Mexico after the robbery, FBI agent Pappas was murdered by a lethally-wounded Roach from behind, and Nathanial was also killed
  • in a classic second skydiving scene (nominated as the "Best Action Sequence" in the 1992 MTV Movie Awards, and ranked 7th in Empire Magazine's Top 10 Crazy Action Sequences), both Bodhi and Roach jumped from the plane with parachutes, hoping to leave Utah onboard to take the blame for the killings; without a parachute, Utah jumped in free-fall and caught up to Bodhi - they exchanged taunts about pulling the ripcord; finally, after Bodhi told Johnny that they would be "meat waffles" in about five seconds at an altitude of 1,000 feet, Johnny dropped his gun and pulled Bodhi's ripcord handle to save the two of them
Utah's Harrowing Skydive Without a Parachute
Bodhi Jumping with Parachute
Utah Jumping Only with Gun
Utah Catching Up to Bodhi Mid-Fall
  • in the film's conclusion, Utah had pursued fugitive bank robber Bodhi (the only surviving gang member) around the globe and found him as he was about to compete in a surfing contest in record-sized waves (known as the legendary "50 Year Storm") at Bells Beach in Victoria, Australia: ("I've been to every city in Mexico. Came across an unclaimed piece of meat in Baja, turned out to be Rosie. Guess he picked a knife fight with somebody better. Found a passport of yours in Sumatra. Missed you by about a week in Fiji. But I knew you wouldn't miss the 50-Year Storm, Bodhi...You gotta go down. You crossed the line and people trusted you and they died")
Utah Located Bodhi at Surfing Beach in Australia: "You gotta go down"
Bodhi Begged: "One wave"
Bodhi's Handcuffs Removed
Utah Tossed Away His FBI Badge
  • although Utah had handcuffed Bodhi and was about to bring him in: ("You gotta go down"), Utah released him when Bodhi begged to ride in the dangerous surf with deadly monster waves one last time: ("This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, man. Just let me go out there, let me get one wave before you take me. One wave....My whole life has been about this moment, Johnny"); when an Australian police claimed: "We'll get him when he comes back in!," Utah replied in the film's final line: "He's not coming back"
  • the death scene of Bodhi who perished during a ride in the wild surf, causing Utah to turn, walk away, and throw his FBI badge into the ocean

FBI Agent Johnny Utah (Keanu Reeves)

Ben Harp to Utah: "You're a real blue flame special!"


Bank Robber (with Richard Nixon Mask): "I'm not a crook!"

One of the Robbers "Mooning" the Bank


Bond Between Utah and Bodhi: (Bodhi to Utah: "You've got it")


Relationship Between Tyler and Utah


Pappas Ordering Two Meat-ball Sandwiches During Bank Stake-out


First Skydiving Sequence



The Death of Pappas

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