Fast And Furious And Point Break Have A Sneaky Set Similarity

Given how outlandish and enormous the "Fast & Furious" film series would eventually become, it's a little mind-boggling to remember that Rob Cohen's 2001 original, "The Fast and the Furious," was little more than a mid-budget "Point Break" knockoff. The story goes that star Paul Walker, having enjoyed working with Cohen on the 2000 college thriller "The Skulls" was asked what his dream action project would be. Walker said that he wanted to appear in an action movie mashup of "Days of Thunder" and "Donnie Brasco." That is: something with fast cars, but also a cop who goes undercover to infiltrate the criminal underground. The subsequent screenplay, written by Gary Scott Thompson, drew inspiration from a 1998 article in Vibe Magazine all about the New York underground racing scene. David Ayer was brought in to work on a draft, and he changed the setting to Los Angeles and made the cast more diverse. 

As far as I have been able to determine, the "Furious" screenwriters — which also includes Erik Bergquist — haven't commented on the similarities of their movie to Kathryn Bigelow's 1991 film "Point Break," but many pundits and critics have certainly noticed parallels. Both films are about an L.A. cop (Walker in "Furious," Keanu Reeves in "Point") who infiltrates an underground heist operation run by an ultra-cool leader (Vin Diesel in "Furious," Patrick Swayze in "Point") who is into a unique extreme sport (underground racing in "Furious," surfing in "Point"). Both also feature the cop character falling in love with one of the gangster's inner circle (Jordana Brewster in "Furious," Lori Petty in "Point"). 

Director Cohen must have noticed the similarities between his and Bigelow's films, however, because he snuck in a reference that sharp-eyed "Point Break" fans might spot. Want a meal at Neptune's Net?

In "The Fast and the Furious," there is a scene where Dom Toretto (Diesel) and his gang reconnoiter at a familiar restaurant called Neptune's Net. Fancy cars are parked out front, and the clientele seems to be a healthy mix of bikers, babes, and surfers. As it so happens, Neptune's Net was the same restaurant where Tyler (Petty) worked in "Point Break." Tyler would ultimately be the one to introduce Johnny Utah (Reeves) to Bodhi (Swayze). In both movies, Neptune's Net is treated like a freewheeling nexus of Malibu's coolest people, and it always hopping with sexy criminals. 

As it so happens, Neptune's Net is a real restaurant located on the Pacific Coast Highway in Malibu, California, and is noted for its seafood. It was originally built in 1956 as a multi-use building that housed a diner, but also a gas station and a real estate office. The diner didn't have a name, but it was owned by an engineer named Eastman N. Jacobs, so it was eventually merely called Jake's Diner by the locals. In 1974, Jacobs finally sold the property to Dolly and Paul Seay and it became Neptune's Net. 

Neptune's Net is so photogenic that it has appeared in numerous films and TV shows over the years. Fans of Curtis Hanson's 1983 film "Losin' It" will recall a food fight that took place there. In the early 2000s, people from "The Hills" and characters from "Gossip Girl" ate there. Technically, Robert Downey, Jr. and Don Cheadle had a meal at Neptune's Net in Shane Black's 2013 film "Iron Man 3," but that was actually a clever recreation that had been built in Florida. 

In the lore of "Iron Man 3," Tony Stark lives near Point Dume, 10 miles from Neptune's Net.