The Movie Guide for Women
  • Home
  • Author Bio
  • Women in Film
  • Book Blog
  • Excerpts

Casino Royale vs. Point Break

5/2/2018

0 Comments

 
Both Casino Royale (2006) and Point Break (1991) include men running around shooting guns and a woman abducted, sequestered and threatened by a man. The similarities do not end there. However, the only aspect that interests me this morning is the way the lead males interact with their love interests. In Casino Royale a woman (Caterina Murino) meets Daniel Craig outside a casino and agrees to go back to his place for a drink after talking to him for less than five minutes--even though she does not know his name. In their next shot they are rolling around together on the floor of his hotel room. Later he meets Eva Green in a train. During the conversation that ensues, in which he flirts with her, she makes a comment about his "perfectly formed arse." A mutual attraction is obvious, so it comes as no surprise that they become lovers later on.  In Point Break, on the other hand, the relationship begins quite differently. When Lori Petty meets Keanu Reeves at the beach he is underwater, being tossed about by waves and in danger of drowning. She rescues him. When she drags him back onto the beach she insults him and clearly expresses her opinion that he does not belong there before she takes off. She shows absolutely no interest in him and what he has to say to her. Some time later she teaches him to surf and eventually becomes his lover. In their initial meeting he is not the seducer, like Craig, but the saved. In fact, he never does come across as a seducer. In Reeves' interactions with Petty he is not pursuing her so much as learning from her. It is a much more relaxed relationship than the ones Craig has with Murino and Green. 

It is exceptionally rare to see women saving men in movies, not to mention teaching them a skill. 
Point Break, like Casino Royale, was written by a man (three men in the case of the latter), which is not surprising considering the plot. Unlike Casino Royale, however, it was directed by a woman, Kathryn Bigelow. A female director is not the only factor at play here, in terms of the more evolved relationship between the lead male and female. The '90s produced several movies that were far less sexist than the ones coming out now (e.g. Terminator 2 in 1991, Jurassic Park in 1993, The First Wives Club in 1996 and Titanic in 1997). When Point Break was made the most recent backlash against women in movies had not yet begun. It seems funny to say this about a movie made over twenty years ago but after analysing Casino Royale for my book I found watching Point Break--in spite of the shooting and car chases--rather enjoyable, especially the relationship between the lead male and female. 

© 2018 Alline Cormier

0 Comments



Leave a Reply.

    Author

    The film analyst who puts women first. Author of an upcoming film guide for women. 
    Watch related movie clips on her YouTube channel (ACPicks). 
    ​Read her articles in Island Woman Magazine, Feminist Current, 4W,  Women Making Films India and The Post Millennial. 

    Picture

    Archives

    December 2024
    October 2024
    September 2024
    August 2024
    May 2024
    April 2024
    March 2024
    February 2024
    December 2023
    November 2023
    October 2023
    August 2023
    July 2023
    June 2023
    May 2023
    April 2023
    February 2023
    January 2023
    December 2022
    November 2022
    October 2022
    September 2022
    August 2022
    July 2022
    June 2022
    April 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    July 2021
    May 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016

    Categories

    All

    RSS Feed

Site powered by Weebly. Managed by Web Hosting Canada
  • Home
  • Author Bio
  • Women in Film
  • Book Blog
  • Excerpts