I was extremely sad when I found out that actor Patrick Swayze lost his battle with cancer at the age of 57 back on September 14th. Swayze always struck me as a talented and charismatic actor, and while not all his films were classics, he also had an inate friendly charm and came across as someone who cared deeply about his family, friends, and fans.
I’ve been watching a lot of Swayze’s movies lately and I picked out some of my favorites for you to check out, Rest in Peace, Patrick Swayze:
The Outsiders (1983): Patrick Swayze radiated charisma as the older brother of Rob Lowe and C Thomas Howell in The Outsiders. Based on SE Hinton’s classic novel for young adults, The Outsiders introduced Swayze and many other future stars to the public.
Red Dawn (1984): Red Dawn is ridiculous right wing Reagan-era junk written and directed by John Milus, but at the time it was scary as Hell to a lot of people. A nightmare about Russians parachuting in (literally!) and taking over America, the movie is goofy but entertaining as Hell.
Dirty Dancing (1987): The movie that made Swayze a megastar. It’s cliche-ridden plot couldn’t mess up its feel-good soundtrack and terrific ending.
Road House (1989): Road House is pure campy trash, and its entertaining as Hell. See it, if you haven’t already !
Ghost (1990): Mega-hit and an effective mix of romance, thriller, and supernatural ghost story. Swayze is charismatic and warm and Whoopi Goldberg is hilarious.
Point Break (1991): Kathryn Bigelow’s wildly infectious mix of surfing, bank robberies, shoot-outs, and chases. Point Break was Fast and the Furious before there was Fast and The Furious.
Donnie Darko (2001): Patrick Swayze gave his all playing a smarmy self-help guru hiding a nasty little secret in Richard Kelly’s cult classic about a disturbed teen with schizophrenia and a giant bunny named Frank. Supporting Darko at Sundance, Swayze was quoted as saying, ” In my career; when you get offered an absolute fortune for crap, your insides start screaming for some kind of fulfillment. When I started meeting with some of these young filmmakers, the passion was restrored in my life….This is the fifth reinvention of Patrick Swayze”.
The Beast (2009): This was Swayze’s last role as the lead on this dark crime drama from A&E. Though I’ve never seen it, I look forward to checking it out the television series on DVD sometime in the near future.
So readers, what is your favorite Patrick Swayze performance or movie ? Post your thoughts below.
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Cricket
Sep 18, 2009 -
Point Break is his most memorable role for me. He was a bad guy yet you rooted for him.
Folkdude01
Sep 18, 2009 -
All those are good choices. My favorite is his role in Donnie Darko. But a close second or third is one you missed. It’s a little movie called “To Wong Foo, Thanks for Everything! Julie Newmar”. Swayze earned a Best Actor Golden Globe nomination for his performance as Vida Boheme.
Here’s a great scene from the film:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fv1lB4GySLY
John Kaufman
Sep 19, 2009 -
The idea that one could be a member of both the high school football team and the school’s ballet company is one that breaks stereotypes and one that everyone ought to hear.
I think this might be an important part of Patrick Swayze’s legacy.
In a world of Hollywood phonies, he always “kept it real.” He was one of the good guys.
John Spartan
Sep 19, 2009 -
Road House was recommended to me when I was working as a bouncer. Yes, even bouncers watch this movie, lol.
But I will always enjoy his performance in Ghost. Now that’s a love story.
Circus80
Sep 19, 2009 -
It’s too bad that he’s gone. I was a fan. I liked his movies. Point Break, Red Dawn, and even Ghost, which I liked very much. You macho guys might laugh at me, but I don’t care.
His show, The Beast, I watched a few episodes, because it
was filmed in my hometown of Chicago. It was an ok show.
He’ll be missed.