[DVD REVIEWS]Bigelow's action films get right to the point

Perhaps the best woman director at making manly films is Kathryn Bigelow. This 51-year-old maker of action films may be better known as James Cameron's former wife, but she deserves a reputation as big as Cameron in her own right.

Bigelow once said of being a woman director: "There should be more women directing; I think there's just not the awareness that it's really possible. It is."

Bigelow is especially known for her well-paced action sequences, nuanced with subtle psychology. Her latest film, "K-19: The Widowmaker," stars Harrison Ford and Liam Neeson, and arrives on local screens Thursday.

Bigelow got her first directing credit in "The Loveless" (1983), but one of her most memorable works would be "Point Break," reviewed below.

"Point Break" (1991, "Pokpung Sogeuro" in Korea)

Directed by Bigelow. Starring Patrick Swayze and Keanu Reeves.

In a seaside neighborhood in Los Angeles, a group of bank robbers in masks of ex-presidents are on a string of heists. Their notoriety brings them to the attention of the FBI. A young agent, Johnny Utah (Reeves), is put on the case.

The FBI believes the bank robbers are a group of surfers, so Utah has to learn how to surf so that he can infiltrate the gang.

His boss does not like the idea too much, but Utah successfully mingles with the surfers anyway. Utah's plan works out and he gathers much information, especially when he meets Bodhi (Swayze), a philosophical hippie surfer.

But as Utah gets ever tighter and deeper into the surfer gang, he begins to feel drawn to their lifestyle.

Bigelow focuses on the subtle psychological relationship between Utah and Bodhi, making the film more than just another mediocre action flick.

While Reeves' acting remains passable, Swayze stands out for his fine performance, conveying an intricate and delicate character.

by Chun Su-jin