50/50 Review #26: Point Break.

The general rule of thumb for the 60/60 and 50/50 was to watch films I'd never seen before. In this case, I'm relatively sure I'd only seen the majority of Point Break. But even still, it was so long ago that I barely remembered anything from it. That's why I allowed it as a choice, since it was basically like watching it for the first time anyway. The film follows a rookie FBI agent Johnny Utah (Keanu Reeves) and his partner, Pappas (Gary Busey). They work the bank robbery division, and are particularly focused on one case: the dead presidents robbers. Pappas has a theory that they all might actually be surfers, despite what their boss (John C. McGinley) thinks. But that leads Johnny to going undercover as a surfer to infiltrate the community. He starts off by taking some lessons from Tyler (Lori Petty), who inevitably leads him to her friends, including surfing guru, Bodhi (Patrick Swayze). And I'm sure you can figure out what happens from there.

Of course first we must bring up the acting. It is a Keanu Reeves movie, after all. He was rather perfect for the role. He might not have been the most logical "EFF. BEE. EYE. AGENT!" But he can definitely pull off the whole stoner surfer vibe (and how great is the name Johnny Utah?). And Gary Busey is having fun as his washed-up partner (no pun intended). He also sure likes his meatball subs. McGinley is also a lot of fun as their always incredibly pissed off boss. As for Swayze... This film also came out two years after Road House, so Swayze must have really been in a zen kind of mood around that time of his career. It was interesting, though, to see him play a character with similar ideals but use them in completely different ways--one to keep the peace, the other to upset it. But both Dalton and Bodhi are all about finding that inner peace.

The action is truly the standout in this movie, though. From the house raid where Keanu gets his ass kicked by a naked woman to the suspense of free falling from an airplane (once where you're not sure if the parachute is gonna open or not, and once where he's literally free falling). But best sequence in the film, though, hands down is about halfway through the movie. It starts with a car chase and then ends up on foot with Johnny chasing a masked Bodhi through yards and houses. There's even a moment where Bodhi actually throws a dog at Johnny to slow him down. And not just any tiny dog or anything. I'm relatively sure it was a freakin' pitbull. Who throws a shoe dog, honestly? And, of course, it ends with the most iconic moment in the movie (especially thanks to Hot Fuzz) with Johnny firing his gun up into the air. Such a fantastic sequence from beginning to end.

My biggest complaint is actually going to sound incredibly stupid. So I just want all of you to brace yourselves for this... there was too much surfing. Yeah, I know. I don't really mean overall... but at least in the first 45 minutes. I understand some of the scenes were important, and it wasn't really the fact they were there... but they didn't have to go on nearly as long as they did. And then there was the little night football game that dragged on a little longer than necessary. But if you know me, you know sports are kind of boring to me. So there were a lot of moments in the first 45 minutes where I was just like "OK, I get it... move on already." Also, the film broke a "Chekhov's Gun" rule. When Busey's character is introduced, he's having to learn how to pick up bricks blindfolded in the bottom of a pool as a training exercise. He even says "When will I ever need this?" You don't introduce something as out-there as that and then not have it come into play in a bank robbing surfers movie.

Overall, though, I dug it. There was some fantastic action in this movie, either because it was truly great or because it was just strange (naked woman, dog throwing, etc.). I could have done with a little less extensive surfing sequences, but I understand why they were there, obviously. Iconic moments, iconic lines... it's clear why this is a cult action flick. And it was made by a (now Oscar-winning) female director! Anywho... vaya con dios, mi amigos.

A Keanu 'Whoa'

(P.S. Why do all my Keanu movies end up with this rating? I swear I don't do it on purpose.)

50/50 Review #25: Road House.

What a better way to celebrate the halfway point of this project than with a true classic... Road House. So, Dalton (Patrick Swayze) is the best cooler and/or bouncer in the business. He's hired on by Tilghman (Kevin Tighe) to help clean up his bar, but things get a little heated when Dalton's views conflict with those of Brad Wesley (Ben Gazzara), a rich man who basically owns the town. And everything gets even more complicated when Dalton begins seeing Doc (Kelly Lynch), who has ties to Wesley's past. He eventually gets a little help from old friend and mentor, Wade Garrett (Sam Elliott)... but will it be enough?

This movie is a cult classic, which means there's a possibility that one might not like it by the time it ends. Cult classics, by definition, are geared to specific tastes. That's why they have "cult followings." I had this fear going into this movie, which had been so built up and so immortalized for me in the last few years. I wasn't sure if it was going to live up to the hype. And even worse, if I disliked it, would I be ostracized?

Hopefully that fear won't come to fruition. While it's not perfect, even by cult standards, Road House is a hell of a lot of fun. I'll get the negative out of the way first. At just shy of two hours, I felt the first hour dragged a bit. There were some good moments here and there, but it was almost all building up the characters. I found myself constantly checking the time during this half of the movie and getting anxious when I would realize only a few minutes had gone by since I last checked and I still had over an hour of the movie left. It's just a lot of repetition in both talk and action... at least to me, anyway.

But then the second half of the movie kicks in (no pun intended). The villains get more villainous, the action gets crazier, and the tone of the film slips from regular drama to B-Movie goodness. This all builds up to a moment before the climax of the film that I don't want to spoil if you haven't seen this yet. Let's just say it starts with an explosion, continues with crazy laughter and cheesy lines, leads into a fight, and ends with something that--no joke--made my eyes literally widen in shock at the unexpected act of pure awesomeness. I think my initial reaction was "Holy F***!" (Though I didn't say it.) Oh, and the climax itself is good, too. I love how the baddy gets his comeuppance.

Let's look at the actors and/or characters now. There's really no need to mention Swayze. He drips with cool in this movie, and I know I wouldn't want to face the guy in a fight. Ben Gazzara plays our villain, and hot damn is he villainous. A lot of movies say "This man is insane!" but there's always a method to the madness. Not this time. Brad Wesley is totally nuts and doesn't care whose lives he has to destroy just so he can feel better about himself. He's not in it for money or power. He has that already. He's just out to exploit it and be as maniacal as possible. But who really plays up the cheese factor part of the villain is his right hand, Jimmy, played by Marshall Teague, who is involved in that fight of awesomeness mentioned earlier. By the end, I was expecting him to team up with the dude from Silent Night, Deadly Night Part 2 for how silly and crazy he was. But who I really need to give it up to is the man himself, Sam Elliott. This guy should have a role in every movie. I'd say that would make it better automatically. Though it does seem rather blasphemous for him to be without his mustache. Still, he was awesome.

Like I said, I didn't find it to be the perfect badass movie ever like it was built up to be... at least not in the first hour. The second half, however, is about what I expected of the movie as a whole. It was pretty dang cool. The characters are fun. The story is essentially just a modernized western (stoic cowboy is hired to come clean up the town, lives on a farm, runs into problems with 'oil baron' or whatever, falls for local girl... all with a slow build-up that leads to a big shoot-out... and co-stars Sam Elliott). And it gets pretty cheesy awesome towards the end (with a little sprinkled throughout). Good stuff.


A Keanu 'Whoa'