Point Break DVD: Review By jimmykeown

Action films of the early 90's are a unique breed of entertainment. Action films of the early 90's starring Patrick Swayze, Gary Busey, and Keanu Reeves, are pretty much destined for failure. But at the time, Patrick Swayze was riding the stardom wave of "Ghost," Busey was still feeding off the fumes of "Lethal Weapon," and Reeves was still tripping "Bill and Ted's." Heck, this was the fixings for a blockbuster hit, and "Point Break" just happened to be the script that did it.

Based around primitive action adventure sports that truly took over in the mid to late 90's, "Point Break" acted as a minor turning point for the representation of a minority. The movie offered an insiders look to the adrenaline junky of the period, and proved that just because someone jumps out of a plane, doesn't mean they're crazy.

"Point Break" is a movie about a group of thieves led by Bodhi (Patrick Swayze). Going untouched for years, the Ex-Presidents (the name which they're given...because they wear masks of past presidents) are the leading bank robbers on the west coast. The group goes from bank to bank, leaving no trace, no one killed, and only video reminders of the act. From a criminal standpoint, they're basically perfect, but that's where Johnny Utah (Keanu Reeves) comes into play. Utah, a cop just out of training, brings a new intensity to attempt to solve the case of the Ex-Presidents. Utah is teamed up with a washed up cop by the name of Pappas, who is played by Gary Busey, and pops more one-liners in than Ash does in the whole Evil Dead series. As Utah befriends a group of surfers, he soon realizes that maybe he's brought himself into the home of the enemy. Tied into a recent love interest, Utah must figure out what to put at risk, his friends, his job, his life, or his love.

Clever and witty are the two adjectives I'd use to describe "Point Break." The movie offers a comedic outlook to an entertaining story, and what is created is an action packed and thrilling adventure, which only a few casts could really pull together, and this one pulls it off brilliantly.

The extra features are a very unique aspect of the Pure Adrenaline Edition. Containing the basic trailers, deleted scenes, and galleries, the Pure Adrenaline Edition has four interesting featurettes. The deleted scenes really don't add much and of the four featurettes, only one is truly entertaining. "It's Make or Break Retrospective" is the one featurette that caught my interest. Most of the actors are interviewed, except for Keanu, but the interviews offer a modern twist to a 15 year old movie. Another featurette entitled "Ride the Wave" offers a spiritual perspective on surfing, but was thrown in more as a features filler than anything. The "Adrenaline Junkies" featurette shows the behind-the-scenes production of the stunts done in the movies. Last, but not least, the "On Location: Malibu" featurette follows two of Brodhi's surfer friends through the location of the original filming. Simply put, if you like extra features and "Point Break," then this edition won't let you down.

The movie is shown in 16x9 widescreen. The colors look a lot better than I remember them, and the wave shots look amazing on the big screen.

Offering multiple audio formats, the DVD can only truly shine in 5.1 surround sound. The soundtrack isn't anything amazing, but the rumble of the waves is something I'll never forget.

The DVD comes in a cardboard sleeve but has sub-par artwork for a titled "Pure Adrenaline Edition." They could have atleast put in a little more money to make this the ultimate Point Break DVD.

The "Pure Adrenaline Edition" of "Point Break" is a DVD every enthusiast should have in their collection. Loosely defining the surfer west coast era, "Point Break" offers thrills, adventure, and drama, that will entertain even those that aren't fans of action films.