Long-haired surfer dudes robbing banks for kicks versus a cocky new FBI recruit who goes undercover to solve the case of a series of bank robberies.
Patrick Swayze is magnificent in all his intensity and madness as the leader of the bank robbing surfers. Keanu Reeves as the FBI agent is passable as always, but hasn't got the gravity or cool that possibly a Tom Cruise could've brought to the role. After a promising start, Lori Petty is relegated to a supporting role. A shame, but it's a film about guys after all, or as the Lori Petty character says at some point: 'There's a bit too much testosterone around here.' (Surprisingly it's directed by a woman, the Oscar winning Kathryn Bigelow.)
The first twenty minutes are pretty standard FBI fair, with a lot of shouty men in suits, masculine bullying and the pulling of rank, but as soon as the film gets going, the excitement and tension build up beautifully. When Keanu Reeves's cover is blown by chasing the masked bank robbers, he surprisingly goes back to continue his job as an undercover... It's a strange twist, but after this, the film speeds up further and there is no way of telling how it will all end. It certainly had me at the edge of my seat.
After all these years (thirty!) the film, which depicts a life style that in my mind is very much associated with the period, is still very watchable. The tuxedo dressed and masked bank robbers (the masks depict as ex-presidents) show a another side of the the thrill seeking surfers and add a nightmarish feel to the otherwise freewheeling and drugs taking young men.
The action is balanced with some low-key druggy philosophy about living for the moment, that feels heartfelt and authentic. The film doesn't glamorize and none of the characters are all that likable - should we be rooting for Schwayze the bank robber of Reeves the sneaky FBI undercover agent? The ambivalence makes this film much better than the average action film where the line between good and bad often is drawn with much more clarity.
A ninety classic that has lost nothing of its original excitement and reminds us of what a great actor Patrick Swayze was.
Patrick Swayze is magnificent in all his intensity and madness as the leader of the bank robbing surfers. Keanu Reeves as the FBI agent is passable as always, but hasn't got the gravity or cool that possibly a Tom Cruise could've brought to the role. After a promising start, Lori Petty is relegated to a supporting role. A shame, but it's a film about guys after all, or as the Lori Petty character says at some point: 'There's a bit too much testosterone around here.' (Surprisingly it's directed by a woman, the Oscar winning Kathryn Bigelow.)
The first twenty minutes are pretty standard FBI fair, with a lot of shouty men in suits, masculine bullying and the pulling of rank, but as soon as the film gets going, the excitement and tension build up beautifully. When Keanu Reeves's cover is blown by chasing the masked bank robbers, he surprisingly goes back to continue his job as an undercover... It's a strange twist, but after this, the film speeds up further and there is no way of telling how it will all end. It certainly had me at the edge of my seat.
After all these years (thirty!) the film, which depicts a life style that in my mind is very much associated with the period, is still very watchable. The tuxedo dressed and masked bank robbers (the masks depict as ex-presidents) show a another side of the the thrill seeking surfers and add a nightmarish feel to the otherwise freewheeling and drugs taking young men.
The action is balanced with some low-key druggy philosophy about living for the moment, that feels heartfelt and authentic. The film doesn't glamorize and none of the characters are all that likable - should we be rooting for Schwayze the bank robber of Reeves the sneaky FBI undercover agent? The ambivalence makes this film much better than the average action film where the line between good and bad often is drawn with much more clarity.
A ninety classic that has lost nothing of its original excitement and reminds us of what a great actor Patrick Swayze was.