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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
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FBI Agent Angelo Pappas
(Gary Busey)
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Tyler Endicott (Lori Petty)
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Bodhi (Patrick Swayze)
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- 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
- 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
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Bodhi Jumping with Parachute
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Utah Jumping Only with Gun
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Utah Catching Up to Bodhi Mid-Fall
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- 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")
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Utah Located Bodhi at Surfing Beach in Australia: "You
gotta go down"
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Bodhi Begged: "One wave"
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Bodhi's Handcuffs Removed
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Utah Tossed Away His FBI Badge
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- 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
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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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