Long before she became the first woman to win the Academy Award for Best Director, The Hurt Locker mastermind Kathryn Bigelow made an equally powerful epic: 1991’s Point Break. Bearing the 100 percent accurate tagline “100 PERCENT PURE ADRENALINE,” Point Break electrified audiences with surfing, shootouts, explosions, slow motion, sex, skydiving, two meatball sandwiches, and a cast that has never been and shall never be equaled:

• Keanu Reeves as “FBI Special Agent Johnny Utah”—an FBI special agent
• Patrick Swayze as “Bodhi”—surfer, Buddhist, bank robber
• Gary Busey as “Angelo Pappas”—a scholar of Calvin and Hobbes
• Lori Petty as “Tyler”—an unbelievably obnoxious human being
• Anthony Kiedis as “Tone”—a territorial surfer

“You’re tryin’ to tell me the FBI is gonna pay me to learn to surf?” asks an incredulous Johnny Utah early in Point Break—and yes, that’s exactly what the FBI pays him to do when they assign the “young, dumb, [and] full of come” agent to take down a gang of surfing bankrobbers. But as Utah soon discovers, this assignment won’t be that simple. For when he finds himself under the seductive sway of the trickster thieves’ charismatic leader, Bodhi, all that Utah knows—all that he holds dear—becomes as fluid and tempestuous as the ocean herself.

Not only is Point Break one of my favorite movies ever, it’s the number-one movie people have asked us to do for Hecklevision. Like past Hecklevisions, Point Break will play on the top of the movie screen, while just below—IN REAL TIME—your hilarious, adrenaline-packed text messages will pop up. In the past we’ve filled the Hollywood Theatre with heckle-enhanced screenings of Red Dawn and Commando… but you know what? Point Break is gonna kick those movies’ asses. It’s Point Break. It’s Hecklevision. It’s 100 percent pure adrenaline… now with an extra 15 percent of heckle.

WHAT: Hecklevision: Point Break
WHEN: Friday May 25, 7:30 pm
WHERE: Hollywood Theatre, 4122 NE Sandy
HOW MUCH: If you want the ultimate, you gotta be willin’ to pay the ultimate price. Only $7!

See you there.

With honor and distinction, Erik Henriksen served as the executive editor of the Portland Mercury from 2004 to 2020. He can now be found at henriksenactual.com.

12 replies on “Announcing HECKLEVISION: <i>POINT BREAK</i>”

  2. OHO GOD! THIS IS ONE OF MY FAVORITE MOVIES!!! ALSO, IT’S MY GIRLFRIEND’S BIRTHDAY THAT NIGHT. WHAT DO I DO?! WHAT DOOOOOOO I DOOOOOOOOOO?!?

  4. My fear is that this will play out like Commando, because this movie is too well known. Several idiots were way too excited and yelling at the screen. Red Dawn was great, though.

  5. @cat & beard: If you make me a t-shirt that says “BACK OFF WARCHILD SRSLY” then I will let you in for free. It occurs to me that this might be a terrible trade. I guess I just really want a t-shirt that says that.

    @Chris: I’m gonna keep a better handle on that kind of stuff this time. The crowds at these are always going to be rowdy—that’s a lot of the fun—but I also want to try to make sure everybody’s having a good time and not getting annoyed by idiots.

  6. Erik — it’s a deal! I have a blank screen and some emulsion at home I need to use before it goes bad. I’m guessing you’re a medium?

  7. @cat & beard: Holy shit, I cannot believe that actually worked. I usually wear a small. I am very excited about this.

  11. Gary Busey plays Gary Busey, Keanu Reeves plays a Wooden Indian and supposed College star QB (that part is still hysterical) and the RHCP play…..surfers? Bank Robbers? Awesome either way!

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