The 1990s were a golden era for cinema, characterized at least in part by a renaissance for the crime genre. The decade saw an explosion of crime movies hit the big screen, ranging from neo-noirs to action-packed heist movies, some of which remain benchmarks for the genre. As a ‘90s crime movie masterpiece prepares to get the TV reboot treatment, fans can stream the original film on Hulu now.
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Kathryn Bigelow’s cult classic 1991 action-crime thriller Point Break joined Hulu’s streaming lineup on March 1st. The movie centers around young FBI agent Johnny Utah (Keanu Reeves), who goes undercover to infiltrate a group of thrill-seeking bank-robbing surfers only to develop a complex relationship with the group’s charismatic leader Bodhi (Patrick Swayze). The movie’s arrival on Hulu comes just months after fans got exciting news. Following the failed 2015, the iconic 1991 movie is being rebooted as a TV series for AMC from David Kalstein.
What Makes Point Break a Definitive 1990s Action-Crime Thriller?
Point Break is considered a definitive 1990s action-crime thriller for a reason. The movie is renowned for its genre-hopping style, blending high-stakes bank heist crime drama with intense extreme sports action. Bigelow’s kinetic, practical, stunt-heavy filmmaking perfectly captured both high-stakes, realistic bank heists and breathtaking surfing and skydiving scenes and created a visceral experience that redefined 1990s action cinema. At the same time, Point Break went beyond a standard cops-and-robbers story by seamlessly merging ‘80s-style adrenaline-fueled action with a philosophical, counter-culture bromance between Reeves’ Johnny and Swayze’s Bodhi, two very different characters whose relationship posed genuinely deep-seated emotional conflict.
The film’s genre-blending style paired with the way it perfectly captured the era’s aesthetic with its sun-bleached California beach setting and grunge-adjacent fashion helped launch Point Break to cult classic status. The movie remains a timeless masterpiece that, so far, hasn’t been able to be replicated. Its 2015 remake was a certified critical and commercial flop, grossing $134 million against a $105 million budget and scoring just a 12% critic score on Rotten Tomatoes compared to the original’s 68%. The upcoming TV series stands a chance to fare better, angling itself as a reboot rather than a remake that is 35 years after the original film and focused on a new dangerous heist crew with ties to the original “Ex-Presidents” surfer gang.
What’s New on Hulu?
Point Break arrived on Hulu on March 1st alongside a wave of other additions, including Cast Away, The Descendants, Fight Club, The Internship, Memoirs of A Geisha, Pearl Harbor, Ratatouille, and Silver Linings Playbook. Throughout the month, the streamer has added other titles like Killing Faith, Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret, and Anniversary. On the TV side of things, Hulu is now streaming Sunny Nights: Complete Season 1, Rooster Fighter: Season Premiere, and The Nanny: Complete Series.
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