Details

Release year: 1991

Storyline

An F.B.I. Agent goes undercover to catch a gang of surfers who may be bank robbers.

Top credits

Directors

Kathryn Bigelow

Writers

Cast

Patrick Swayze — Bodhi
Keanu Reeves — Johnny Utah
Gary Busey — Pappas
Lori Petty — Tyler Ann Endicott

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Did you know

• Production began under the working title "Johnny Utah" following the casting of Keanu Reeves. The studio later changed the title to "Riders on the Storm" after the song by The Doors during the period Patrick Swayze joined the cast. Producers eventually rejected both titles due to a lack of perceived relevance to surfing and the lyrical content of the song. The final title, "Point Break," was selected approximately halfway through principal photography. It describes a type of wave that breaks as it hits a point of land or a rock protrusion extending from the coastline, creating a long, consistent, and predictable ride favored by surfers.

• Patrick Swayze performed many of his own surfing stunts. He refused a stunt double for most surfing scenes, consistent with his practice of performing his own fight choreography and driving stunts in previous films. For the most technically demanding wave sequences, including the final "50-Year Storm" scene, professional surfers Darrick Doerner and Matt Archbold served as his stunt doubles.

• Keanu Reeves, Patrick Swayze, and Lori Petty trained for two months on Kauai, Hawaii, prior to the commencement of principal photography. Former professional surfer Dennis Jarvis provided technical instruction for the lead actors. Patrick Swayze and Lori Petty possessed no prior surfing experience before the production training period.