Runtime: 122 minutes
Directed by: Kathryn Bigelow
Starring: Patrick Swayze, Keanu Reeves, Gary Busey, Lori Petty, John C. McGinley
From: 20th Century Fox
As this movie is somehow 30 years old now (then again, it's hard for me to believe that I recently turned 40), it was about damn time for me to finally revisit a famous picture from my childhood and revel in its beauty, its surf lingo, its thrilling action scenes and be amused that this was ripped off by The Fast & the Furious. No, I've never seen the 2015 remake-those that forgot, that was actually a thing-as apparently it is incredibly vapid, has a lamebrained story and charisma vacuums for leads, so why bother even if it has some impressive stunts?
Much to my relief, this is still an exciting tale involving new FBI agent Johnny Utah, an amazing name that otherwise probably has never existed in human history. What a quandary he's put in when he goes undercover to investigate the belief that the Ex-Presidents gang of bank robbers is surfers... which is true and they were the wave-riders that he befriended. If you believe that Utah and Bodhi are more than just heterosexual friends... that is an added dimension. Honestly, there are more than a few homoerotic moments. Besides those moral questions, the bank heists are all entertaining and a great action scene is a robbery followed by a car chase then a lengthy chase on foot which featured the early 90's version of parkour. The skydiving moments are also breathtaking. In addition, it is successful at presenting the surfer lifestyle and why some would think that is cool, perfect if you believe in the zen movement.
The cast is pretty solid overall, but I will spotlight Patrick Swayze, Keanu Reeves, Gary Busey, Lori Petty, & John C. McGinley as they were all quality with their performances and how those characters were portrayed. It was well-directed by Kathryn Bigelow; it reminds me that I need to watch (first time or otherwise) more of her work. Thank heavens the movie has not aged poorly in these past three decades. This time around, I appreciated Busey playing a typical Busey character, although even with his over the top nature he was still more than competent at his job instead of a caricature.
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