Review: Point Break (2015)

Years after a buddy (Max Thieriot) fell victim to a fatal motocross accident, causing him to lose his nerve and retire, Johnny Utah (Luke Bracey) has joined the FBI. Utah has a wild theory on a series of robberies across several countries, believing that the robbers are actually spiritually-inclined thrill-seekers who are attempting to a hippy-dippy extreme sports ‘spiritual quest’ labelled the Ozaki 8. Basically, they’re not just thieves, they’re eco-terrorists. Utah attempts to infiltrate the group, led by Bodhi (Edgar Ramirez), and before long he is accepted into the brotherhood of Robin Hood-esque adrenaline junkies and their philosophy. He also takes a liking to hanger-on Samsara (Teresa Palmer). Meanwhile, his boss (Delroy Lindo) and FBI handler Pappas (Ray Winstone) are concerned that he’s getting a little too close to his mark. Original “Point Break” cast members Bojesse Christopher and James LeGros have brief cameos as FBI bigwigs.

Directed by Ericson Core (a cinematographer who worked on “Payback”, “The Fast and the Furious” and “Daredevil”), there’s nothing wrong with this 2015 remake of the popular 1991 action flick, except that it’s just not good. If you’re gonna remake a film that, arthouse classic or not, worked the first time, you better at least find a way to make it comparable, better, or interestingly different for your remake to be worthwhile. Core and screenwriter Kurt Wimmer (who wrote and directed the fine “Salt” and “Equilibrium” but also wrote the useless remake of “Total Recall” and the terrible “Street Kings”) fail to do so. This isn’t awful, hell it’s not even a bad film. It’s just not worth seeing, especially when there’s already a vastly superior film named “Point Break” that people can watch. It’s pointless, if you’ll excuse the groan-worthy pun.

The film doesn’t start out like an adrenaline rush, as dirt-bike riding is so cool…if you’re 13. The characters played by Luke Bracey and Max Thieriot are closer to 35. It’s sad. However, credit where it’s due, this is dirt-bike riding turned up to 11. It’s pretty dumb, but this is “Point Break”, after all. It’s supposed to be pretty dumb. In fact, the best thing about the film is the action, which eventually does reach some seriously reckless heights in keeping with the ridiculosity (Which spellcheck needs to recognise as a word) of the basic concept of the film: Thieves who are also adrenaline/risk junkies. Plot-wise it’s much the same as the original, though with more of a back-story for Johnny Utah. The shame with that is that Aussie soap star Luke Bracey is even more dull than Keanu Reeves, if you can believe that. He’s bland and unpersuasive, though I’ll at least credit him with the ability to do a convincing Yank accent. He also does the ‘screaming and shooting in frustration’ scene slightly less amusingly than Keanu did, in one of his weaker moments from the original. However, it’s in the casting of Bodhi and his crew that the film truly falters. Edgar Ramirez is a fine actor in the right role, this is far from the right role though. He just isn’t Bodhi. Casting charmless and forgettable Europeans (or South American in Ramirez’s case) in these roles which are already kind of nondescript, was a huge misfire in my view. There’s a lot of grungy homoeroticism between Utah and Bodhi, which some might find interesting, but I just didn’t connect to these characters or performances as well as I did in the original (where even Keanu was at least well-cast, if wooden).

Usually Ray Winstone can be called upon to steal scenes with ease, but cast in the Gary Busey role, he’s surprisingly forgettable. He also looks like he’s being forced at gunpoint to appear in the film. The best performances in the entire film come from Delroy Lindo and Aussie Teresa Palmer, who unlike Bracey gets to keep her accent. Lindo, basically playing a benevolent version of the arsehole superior officer character John C. McGinley brilliantly played in the original, is rock-solid as ever. Palmer isn’t anything brilliant, but compared to the leads, she’s at least acceptable and is certainly a much better ‘hot chick’ than tomboy-ish Lori Petty was in the original.

As shot by the director himself, the film is slightly washed-out and monochromatic, but the action scenes are especially well-filmed. Although it looks fake, the base-jumping scene is a pretty cool update of the skydiving in the original. That scene definitely works, and most of the other action moments are perfectly fine, too. However, with not one interesting character, it’s awfully hard to care at times.

It’s not a terrible film (it’s better than the first “Fast and the Furious” film), but this isn’t good, isn’t necessary, and does nothing to change your mind on the latter. The action is good, the rest is a bit of a chore. It’s a lot of cool, dumb stunts and not much else. Stick to the original, it still works.

Rating: C