I'm gonna be straight up with you. I should confess that when I wrote this a few weeks ago with other TVSs I had no other real motive behind this edition... other than I thought it would be good for a laugh. But with a new TV shows coming out and a stint in the hospital due to pneumonnia I'm going adopt a new stance of reverence and awe. I think Patrick Swayze is a stud and cancer chose the wrong honcho to fuck with when it decided to take up residence in his pancreas. But Swayze usually isn't the first or second name to come up when you talk about Hollywood studs. Well, maybe not in my circles, I think we're afraid if we say his name out loud 'it' would move. But now that I have collected some of his earlier gems I know perfectly well that Patrick is quite the stud. The ladies love him and he can kick holy ass with the best of them. Patrick Swayze is a near complete package of dreamy goodness and threatening masculinity.
Prepare to feel ashamed for you lack of manliness. We're going crazy with Swayze.
Let's start way back in 1984 where our worst fears came true. Communist forces invade North America. What is worse? Teenagers are leading the counter attack. All I know is if anyone is stupid enough to invade Canada I'm hiding out in Scarborough with my homies. Red Dawn was the perfect vehicle for all hot blooded young Americans and was cast by the young hot talent of the day! Wolverines!!!
Then in 1986 we continue with the hockey movie Youngblood. Starring Rob Lowe and Patrick it was the story of a young American kid who comes up to Canada to play in our junior hockey leagues. But, he has to toughen up and play 'real' hockey, like a Canadian, and learn not to be such a pantie waste. And Patrick is right there along for the ride. Oh yeah. Keanu Reeves plays a French Canadien goalie. You haven't seen funny until...
This gem of post apocalyptic terror was released AFTER Dirty Dancing. He is the desert warrior, carving the future with his sword. Man wanders desert. Man carries sword. Mayhem ensues. Just good cheesy 80s action from start to finish. My teeth hurt just watching this trailer.
And just to prove that he is a bigger stud than the rest of us louts Swayze goes ahead and stars in the bar brawler Road House. He was smooth with the ladies. He was all hot and heavy with a tight Kelly Lynch. Then he busted chops and kicked ass with every other ne'er do well. This is a movie for guys who like movies. What a stud!
It would be a few years after Youngblood when Patrick Swayze and Keanu Reeves would reunite for the awesome surfer/crime movie Point Break. Before extreme sports ever became common lingo amongst the masses this was a west coasters dream. Surfing the waves and robbing banks and getting with the ladies. Have you ever fired your gun up in the air and gone, 'Ah'?
I must be weird but the only one of these I haven't seen is "Point Break". It's because at the time I wouldn't willingly go see a Keanu film (and the only exception I make now is "The Matrix").
I liked Swayze in "Donnie Darko" too.
"Steel Dawn" was soooo bad but even so I would watch it again over "Dirty Dancing".
Swayze. What a man.
The Swayze Express remains the standard by which all other model locomotives are to be judged by.
one vote for Swayze's To Wong Foo performance - a very good character piece.
Glad to see Steel Dawn included on here my good man (or Mack I suppose). Ah the 80s, when feathered haired ruled the wasteland...
Good list - the only one missing is Next of Kin, in which he starred with Bill Paxton and Liam Neeson. It was also one of a number of movies in the 80's in which Bill Paxton was killed off in the first 20 minutes so he could be avenged by the rest of the cast...