I never got the chance to see Point Break in a movie theater. I did not discover it until the summer of 1994 when I became a Keanuphile after "Speed". I had heard of it, but I thought it was a Patrick Swayze movie (who was white hot after "Ghost"). In retrospect, it seems that out of all the big names associated with the movie, Keanu is the only one whose star has risen. Whatever happened to Kathryn Bigelow after marriage to James Cameron? Lori Petty tanked in "Tank Girl." How about Patrick Swayze? Thanks for everything, Julie Newmar. And Gary Busey? Anyone for "Universal Soldier, Part 2 and 3"?

Point Break's physically demanding 77 day production began in July, 1990. Keanu trained with FBI Agents, LAPD Officers, and UCLA Football Coaches. He even went to Hawaii to learn to surf, but the insurance company nixed the sky-diving lessons. PB was one of 3 films Keanu did in quick succession; MOPI and Bogus Journey were the other two. And how different are these three films? PB was released in the summer of 1991, one week before Bogus Journey.

It was panned by most critics, but was commercially successful for an independent film. It found a wider audience on video and today is frequently shown on TV as a cult classic. Keanu was given a MTV Movie Award for "Most Desirable Male", a category they have sinced dropped. In his acceptance speech, he called it a "wacky" award. I call it a bullseye. The movie begins with Keanu wet from head to toe and ends that way. In between he's naked in black satin sheets, wears skin-tight black T's & jeans, and poses on the beach in a black wet suit. He deserved the award. Bigelow is a patron saint for women.

PB's soundtrack was perfect, the waves awesome, and the poster a runner-up only to "Speed"s. The heart and soul of the movie was about male bonding. Lori Petty must have thought she had wandered into the wrong movie. Her relationship with Utah was a distant third to Utah/Pappas and Utah/Bodhi. Keanu biographer, Sheila Johnston, wrote that PB's moral ambiguity was because the movie's "center of gravity kept shifting." Sort of like being on a surfboard, huh? The path of righteousness was difficult to follow for the two leads. Bodhi shape-shifted between bank robber and surfer guru, and Utah from gung-ho lawman to bank robber and quasi-bounty hunter.

PB's marketing slogan was "100% pure adrenaline" and there were many scenes to back that up: the foot chase with Bodhi, the fight at the beach shower, the raid on the drug house, the shoot-out at the airport, and the leap out of the plane without a parachute. But I also remember the quieter moments: the morning good-byes on the beach, the attempted confession in the bathroom (as Tyler nurses a wounded Utah), the first kiss on the two floating surfboards, the elaborate lie at the snack shack, constructed to get Tyler's help, and the stake-out confusion over the lunch order while the bank is being robbed.

Ten years after PB's release, people still associate Keanu with surfing and the catch-phrase "young, dumb, and full of..." well, you know the rest. But for me, the movie demonstrates Keanu's charm as an actor: the combination of quiet strength and physical grace. Keanu became an action star with Point Break, hit his stride with Speed, and peaked with The Matrix. Not bad for one decade, you think?

I look forward to hearing your thoughts on PB. Surf's up! And the balcony is now open.