Director: Kathryn Bigelow (The Weight of Water, Strange Days)

After the critical successes of Near Dark (1987) and Blue Steel (1990), fine art and film school graduate Kathryn Bigelow tackled this summer blockbuster project and created a minor modern classic.

Like the young talent on screen – Keanu Reeves, Patrick Swayze, Lori Petty – there is absolutely no fat in this kinetic buddy-cop thriller. The entire cast pour buckets of energy into their performances; even supporting cast members like John C. McGinley and Tom Sizemore (who are both hilarious) vibrate with barely contained enthusiasm. Most of the dramatic sparks come from the unusual relationship between Johnny Utah and Bodhi, which is portrayed with just the right amount of ambiguity, and the somewhat more predictable romantic liason with surfer chick, Tyler.

The cinematography for much of the film is breathtaking, just as it was in Blue Steel. Even some of the interior shots are amazing: have a look at the continuous steadicam take in which McGinley introduces Jonny Utah around the office, or the sequence where Johnny chases Ronald Regan through a neighbourhood. This piece of action has to be the best foot chase ever filmed, no doubt thanks to steadicam maestro James Muro, who works regularly on James Cameron films and who directed the low budget favourite Street Trash (1986). I also love the frenzied violence in the bungled house raid, and the amazing sky diving footage.

Body doubles and stock footage reduce the impact of the surfing scenes, however, which are the weakest aspect of the visuals, athough they are obviously the hardest to pull off. I doubt any film has done it convincingly. Furthermore, the beach lingo is rather painful, the plot leans on more than one Hollywood cliché, and the Ratt song playing over the end credits is all but unbearable. Despite such caveats, Point Break endures as a slick, virtuoso piece of filmmaking with nary a dull moment.

At around $13, The Australian DVD is an absolute bargain, with a pristine anamorphic video transfer and crisp DTS 5.1 audio.