Patrick Swayze Nearly Died Multiple Times While Filming This Movie

In the 1991 action classic Point Break, Keanu Reeves plays a young FBI agent named Johnny Utah who goes undercover to catch a group of bank-robbing surfers. These criminals are known as the “Dead Presidents” because they wear masks of former leaders like Reagan and Nixon while pulling off heists.

The movie is famous for its high-energy stunts, cheesy dialogue, and incredible surfing scenes that still hold up today. While the film looks cool on screen, making it was actually very dangerous, especially for Patrick Swayze.

In a bonus feature from the DVD, Swayze shared that he almost died several times while filming some of the most intense moments. He had a stunt double for the really hard parts, but Swayze still insisted on doing many of his own stunts to keep things looking real.

He joked that he had to fight with insurance companies just to let him do the skydiving scenes, yet he never came close to dying once while jumping out of planes. The real danger actually came from the water and the massive waves the actors had to face.

Swayze pointed out that while the insurance people were worried about the air, they never said anything about him getting his brains pounded in by some of the biggest surf on earth.

Swayze admitted that he almost died six to ten times and often thought he was outta here when things got rough. He even injured a bone in his chest because he was out on waves that were much bigger than he should have been riding.

He explained that they tried to fix his surfboard and wetsuit to protect his injury, but it didn’t really help because every time a wave hit him, it would just slam him. Even with those scary moments, Swayze’s bravery is part of what makes the movie a masterpiece.

The ending of the film even features his character facing off against the biggest wave of the year, which serves as a final, tragic tribute to his thrill-seeking spirit. It is this commitment to reality that makes the movie a must-watch for anyone who loves the action genre.

As of February, the other star of the film, Keanu Reeves, is still incredibly busy with new projects. He recently appeared at an Apple TV event to promote his upcoming dark comedy Outcome, which is directed by Jonah Hill and costars Cameron Diaz. In this new movie, which premieres on April 10, Reeves plays a Hollywood actor named Reef Hawk who is being blackmailed and has to go on a journey to fix his past mistakes.

Fans of his action work also have plenty to look forward to later this year and beyond. He is returning to the world of John Wick with a role in the spin-off movie Ballerina, starring Ana de Armas, and he also voiced the character Shadow in the hit film Sonic the Hedgehog 3.

Do you think that modern action movies today still capture the same kind of “real-life” danger that made Patrick Swayze’s performance in Point Break so legendary? Share your thoughts in the comments.