J ames Cameron co-wrote "POINT BREAK" with Kathryn Bigelow from an original script by Peter Iliff. Cameron served as Executive Producer on the film, while Bigelow directed. When "Point Break's" principal production was approaching , Bigelow was not yet happy with the shooting script. Cameron stepped in and wrote a final, uncredited draft that juiced up the action with his patented equation of climax following climax.



Unfortunately, Cameron had also given the Carolco execs his word that he would have the Terminator 2: Judgment Day script ready for a formal announcement of the film at the May 1990 Cannes Film Festival. And so it was back to coffee and no sleep. First he completed his Point Break draft, and then plunged into a marathon thirty-six-hour rush to the finish line with Terminator 2.

James Cameron: "I was executive producer of Point Break. I did a considerable amount of writing on the shooting draft of the script with Kathryn, even thought we haven't received credit which is an issue that I have with the Writers Guild (...). She basically is one hundred percent responsible for the final film from that point on. I mean I made a few phone calls but I was kinda busy myself." - T2 Convention 1991

Concurrently with the pre-production of "POINT BREAK," Cameron completed the script "TERMINATOR 2: JUDGMENT DAY" and began production in Fall of 1990 serving as writer, producer, and director. While Cameron was deep into Terminator 2, Bigelow was working, simultaneously, on the pressure-intensive Point Break.

Point Break was originally called Johnny Utah when Keanu Reeves was cast in the title role. The studio felt that this title said very little about surfing and by the time Patrick Swayze was cast, the film had been renamed Riders on the Storm after the song by The Doors. However, Jim Morrison's lyrics had nothing to do with the film and so that title was also rejected. It was not until halfway through filming that Point Break became the film's title because of its relevance to surfing. The story centers on rookie FBI agent Johnny Utah as he infiltrates a group of bank robbers called the Ex-Presidents who are also surfers. The Ex-Presidents have evaded capture due to the fact they take money only from bank cash drawers, never the vault, and are in and out of the bank in 90 seconds.

The film has inspired a piece of cult theater, Point Break Live!, in which the role of Johnny Utah is played by an audience member chosen by popular acclamation after a brief audition. The new "Keanu" reads all of his (or her) lines from cue-cards for the duration of the show.

The film, released in Summer 1991, made close to $90 million worldwide. Subsequently, it topped the video rental charts for five weeks.

POINT BREAK

20th Century Fox 1991

Director: Kathryn Bigelow



Writers: W. Peter Iliff, James Cameron (uncredited) and Kathryn Bigelow (uncredited)

Actors: Patrick Swayze, Keanu Reeves, Gary Busey



Producers: Peter Abrams .... producer

James Cameron .... executive producer

Rick King .... co-producer

Robert L. Levy .... producer

Michael Rauch .... co-producer



Composer: Mark Isham



Release Date: July 12, 1991

Running Time: 2 hrs. 2 min.



MPAA Rating: R Production Budget: $24,000,000



BOX OFFICE



Domestic: $43,218,387

Foreign: $40,313,571



Worldwide: $83,531,958