Kathryn Bigelow’s sharp direction and Keanu Reeves and Patrick Swayze’s tangible on-screen chemistry made Point Break one of the action genre’s most beloved cult classics. It’s the movie that made Reeves an action movie star after years of starring in teen comedies and arthouse films, so it’s essentially the film that fans of the genre have to thank for the John Wick franchise.
It was such a huge box office success that it remained Bigelow’s highest-grossing movie for more than two decades, eventually topped by the director’s geopolitical thriller Zero Dark Thirty. There are some fascinating stories from the making of the movie.
The Producer Of Point Break Came Up With The Idea While Idly Daydreaming On The Beach
Producer Rick King came up with the idea for Point Break while he was sitting on the beach and idly daydreaming. He was thinking about an article he was given from L.A. Weekly that named Los Angeles as the robbery capital of America.
As he was pondering this article, he came up with the story of an undercover FBI agent joining a gang of surfers who rob banks for the thrill.
The Film Was Originally Called Johnny Utah, Then Riders On The Storm
When Keanu Reeves was first cast in Point Break, it wasn’t called Point Break. It was called Johnny Utah after his character, but the studio worried that this didn’t indicate that the movie was about surfing.
So, the producers came up with Riders on the Storm, after the classic Doors song, but since the lyrics had no bearing on the plot, the studio vetoed that, too. Eventually, Point Break was chosen halfway through shooting because of its connection to surfing.
Patrick Swayze Was Already An Experienced Skydiver And Did 55 Jumps For The Movie
Patrick Swayze initially auditioned to play Johnny Utah before being cast as Bodhi. The actor was already an avid skydiver, but the producers wanted him to stop skydiving during filming for insurance purposes. They negotiated this by allowing him to do one skydive for the film. He ended up doing 55 jumps for the movie.
He still participated in skydives without the producers’ knowledge throughout the movie’s shoot. Gary Busey said Swayze was so into skydiving that he pestered him into joining him for one after filming was complete.
Although They’re Not Credited, Kathryn Bigelow And James Cameron Did A Lot Of Work On The Final Script
Although the screenplay for Point Break is credited solely to W. Peter Iliff, most of the final script was written by director Kathryn Bigelow and executive producer James Cameron, who were married at the time.
Ridley Scott had been the first choice to direct Point Break, but after he dropped out, Bigelow signed up. Bigelow and Cameron’s main contributions to Iliff’s script involved making the plot flow better.
The Pitbull-Kicking Scene Carefully Cuts Between A Real Dog And A Fake Dog
One of the trickiest scenes to film was the one in which Bodhi throws a pitbull at Utah and Utah kicks it away. The edit carefully cuts between a real dog and a fake dog.
After being rigorously prepared for the action, the real dog was gently tossed at Keanu Reeves by a trainer from just over a foot away. The ground underneath was padded to make injuries virtually impossible. A fake dog was used for when Utah kicks it, for obvious reasons.
Keanu Reeves Studied Real FBI Agents Before Playing Johnny Utah
In preparation for playing Johnny Utah, Keanu Reeves studied real FBI agents on the job. He also trained with quarterback coaches at UCLA before shooting the football scene, since Utah was supposed to have had a shot at an NFL career.
This character detail actually mirrors Reeves’ real life. While Utah’s budding football career was shut down by a knee injury, Reeves’ budding hockey career was shut down by his own knee injury.
The Studio Scrapped A Sequel Planned For A 1993 Release
Before Point Break hit theaters, 20th Century Fox planned to release a sequel in the summer of 1993. A script was written and the movie went into pre-production.
However, after the movie’s respectful, but modest $90 million box office gross, the studio decided to scrap the sequel.
Patrick Swayze Did A Lot Of His Surfing Stunts Himself
Since he hadn’t used a stunt double for car chases or fight scenes in previous movies, Patrick Swayze refused to use a stunt double for a lot of his surfing scenes in Point Break. He ended up cracking four ribs while filming the surfing scenes.
However, Swayze did need a double for the more technically challenging scenes, like the 50-Year Storm sequence at the end. For these scenes, he was doubled by famous big-wave surfer Darrick Doerner.
Kathryn Bigelow Refused To Direct The Movie Without Keanu Reeves Playing Utah
Kathryn Bigelow was so adamant that Keanu Reeves was the perfect choice to play Johnny Utah that she refused to do the movie without him.
The studio didn’t want Reeves for the part, instead looking at bigger stars like Johnny Depp. Ironically, Point Break made Reeves a bigger star.
Matthew Broderick And Willem Dafoe Were Considered For The Role Of Johnny Utah
Matthew Broderick was originally cast to play Johnny Utah, and before Keanu Reeves was cast in the role, the producers considered Willem Dafoe, Johnny Depp, Val Kilmer, and Charlie Sheen.
Michael Biehn, star of The Terminator and Aliens (and close collaborator of Point Break’s executive producer James Cameron), said in an interview that he was once in talks to play Bodhi, but those talks fell through.