“100 percent pure adrenaline”

Is there a movie as universally heralded as the 1991 hit, Point Break? I well remember the summer day when Brad the Surfer and I stepped from the hot sun into a chilly theater and saw our lives change in and hour and a half. A film about a cool FBI agent who goes undercover to catch bad-guy bankrobbers who are also ‘serious adrenaline junkies’. Going undercover as a bank robber is a little obvious, so Johnny Utah (Keanu Reeves) learns to surf to catch the mysterious and elusive Bohdi (Patrick Swayze in a sun-kissed mullet) and his entire gang. And surf he does, picking up the very difficult sport of surfing in a couple of days while under the tutelage of a lovely female instructor. He even masters the impossible switchfoot move, whereby he is able to switch stances midwave.

This remarkable film has everything: hot romance, a crusty veteran partner, a hardnosed commanding officer, lots of guns, a reflective dialogue delivered into a broken mirror, car and foot chases, an inspiring speech delivered in front of a campfire, waves, skydiving, parties, and drug busts. But even more than that, it contains the very best line ever delivered in the history of cinema:
“Back off, Warchild. Seriously.”