Patrick Swayze is an actor that has had a very interesting Hollywood career. His movies have ranged across many genres. From the action movies to the love stories, Swayze has made his mark on Hollywood cinema. Swayze has had quite a few memorable films, and breaking down the top five is no small task. Feel free to add your choices in the comments below. Here are my top five Patrick Swayze movies of all time:
5. The Outsiders - This movie would rank higher if Swayze had been the primary character, but he was essentially just one of many young stars that were in this movie. This movie portrayed the story of a group of young thugs, and the problems and growth they experienced as youngsters trying to find themselves. The movie is absolutely one of the best around, and Swayze was fantastic in his role as an older brother.
4. Point Break - This movie was much better than many expected it to be. Swayze plays a wild man surfer that is constantly in search of the ultimate ride. In the meantime, he is a bank robber and criminal. Keanu Reeves plays an FBI agent that infiltrates the gang of surfers in search of the bank robbers. Swayze plays the part perfectly and it is considered to be one of his better roles.
3. Roadhouse - This was the movie that was made at the pinnacle of Swayze’s popularity. Hot off the heels of his Dirty Dancing fame, the movie completely sidetracks away from the role he played in that movie. Instead, Swayze is a bouncer in a club that is fighting crooked officials in the town, and trying to stay alive. The movie is actually one of the more exciting roles in Swayze’s career, with some pretty fine fight scenes and the ever popular Sam Elliot.
2. Ghost - This movie showed that Swayze was much more than just a tough guy. The movie is actually rather heart wrenching and at times, even funny. Swayze costars with Demi Moore, and she and Swayze are in love. Swayze is killed in a robbery that turns out to be much more than a robbery. Turns out one of Swayze’s friends is involved. Swayze does not “move on” to the other side because of the fact that Demi is still in danger by this friend, and he comes back as a ghost to try to save her. While it sounds rather contrived, it is in reality a very engaging movie. It also was one of the hugest box office hits of Swayze’s career.
1. Dirty Dancing - Without a doubt, Dirty Dancing was the biggest hit of Swayze’s career to date. This movie was a cultural phenomenon, and it continues to be a favorite of many to this day. Swayze became a star of epic proportions after this movie hit, and it also revitalized the dance genre of movies. Suddenly old movies with Fred Astaire, Gene Kelly and others did not seem so uncool anymore. This movie made dancing cool. That is an impressive feat for a movie.
