Point Break

Long before the term 'bromance' entered the Urban Dictionary, there was Patrick Swayze and Keunu Reeves acting it out in 1991's "Point Break," Kathryn Bigelow's actioner about FBI agent Johnny Utah (Reeves) who infiltrates a gang of surfers-turned-bank robbers led by the charismatic Bohdi (Swayze).

At that time Reeves was a rising hottie (this was before "Speed") and Swayze, fresh off the triumph of "Ghost," was a major movie heartthrob. What made the film unique was Bigelow's thrilling staging of action sequences, its hokey New Age philosophies and the curiously strong relationship between the two men. "I know you want me so bad it's like acid in your mouth," Bodhi tells Utah at one point. Did anyone say pass the lube?

At the time the film made it clear that Bigelow was a director who could make a great movie if given the right script, as she did with the Oscar-winning "The Hurt Locker" and "Zero Dark Thirty." What would have been interesting is if Bigelow had returned to direct the "Point Break" remake (in theaters on Christmas Day), especially since the original story is given a 21st century treatment.

No longer is Bohdi simply a Southern Californian surfing guru - this time he leads a gang of hipster, adrenaline junkies in a series of spectacular heists on a global scale which catch the eyes of American security agencies, including the FBI, who are baffled by the crimes that appear to being done for the thrill of it all. Why would they sneak onto a transport plane and empty its content - millions of dollars - over a Mexican jungle before disappearing into a cave?

This time around Utah (Luke Bracey) is an extreme sports YouTube celebrity who joins the FBI after feeling responsible for the death of his best friend (seen in the opening sequence). He becomes fascinated with the extreme sports criminals and figures out they are acting out a series of tasks, called the Ozaki 8, invented by a Japanese daredevil who died while attempting them. After figuring out what their next feat will be (surprise - it involves surfing), he convinces the FBI to allow him to infiltrate them. When he nearly drowns, he's saved by Bohdi (�dgar Ram�rez) and their bromance begins, much to the chagrin of Bohdi's brood who appear to be jealous of their leader's new boy-toy.

As directed by Ericson Core (who also acts as the film's cinematographer), the movie lurches between action sequences in spectacular locales (the Alps, Angel Falls) and how Utah is seduced by Bohdi. No, not physically; rather his spirit: the homoerotic subtext is more subdued this time around. Perhaps there would be more if the pretty, but dull Bracey and the sexy, but remote Ram�rez had an emotional connection; the pair act as if they're dudes in a beer commercial bonding over a Coor's Light.

If Bohdi didn't take himself so seriously "Point Break" would just be dumb, engaging fun; but screenwriter Kurt Wimmer finds it necessary to evoke the character with the original film's Zen-inspired mumbo-jumbo, which makes Bohdi less an extreme sport avatar and more just a charismatic sociopath with an agenda out of a Jackass movie. Ram�rez never conveys just what makes Bohdi tick; nor does Bracey convincingly show Utah's arc from na�ve daredevil to sober law enforcement agent.

If there's a reason to see this "Point Break," it is to watch the action sequences, which include Bohdi and his hipster cohorts flying through the Alps in wingsuits, rock climbing the side of Angel Falls or riding a hair-thin trail on the top of an Arizona ridge on motorcycles. (Kudos to the stunt actors on this movie - they more than earn their salaries.) Director Core may not get to the heart of the story, but he does provide plenty of spectacular diversions along the way.