There are some films that have so much star power that you just have to purchase them. Films like the Expendables, Righteous Kill, and The Departed all fit this mold, and one to add to this list is The Outsiders. With Patrick Swayze, Rob Lowe, Emillio Estevez, Tom Cruise, Matt Dillon, Diane Lane, and Ralph Macchio, The Outsiders may have one of the most star studded casts of all time. This week in the Manly Movies we are going to review this brat pack starter kit from 1983.

Plot: This movie is pretty straight-forward. There are rich kids and greasers in a town where these quasi-gang like groups that do not get along. Pony Boy (C. Thomas Howell) - lame name for the main character - meets some girls at the local drive-in and proceeds to hit on one of them (Diane Lane). Pony Boy and his fellow greasers end up getting into a fight with the rich kids. One of the rich kids get killed and the boys have to go on a hiatus. While they are in hiding, there is a fire and they run in to save some kids. Johnny (Ralph Macchio) suffers terrible burns as a result of falling debris . They return home and are welcomed as heros. The movie’s climax is a big fight against the rich kids. The greasers win with Swayze showing why he was in Roadhouse by demolishing people in the fight. Johnny dies from his injuries, and Dallas (Matt Dillon) robs a store and then gets killed by the cops. The End.

Review: For all the star power in this movie, it really falls into the mediocre category. You have guys who played such iconic rolls as the Karate Kid, Coach Gordon Bombay, Maverick, Sam Seaborn, and Dalton, and yet the movie still doesn’t measure up to expectations. Furthermore, there is a ton of talking and discussion of feelings. I am not saying this is a chick flick level of feeling talking, but there is still too much for my taste. Finally, Diane Lane is pretty hot in the film, but really doesn’t do anything the entire movie. The only redeeming quality is the end where Swayze destroys people in the final brawl. Maybe if they added Val Kilmer flying an F-16 and Sam Elliot pulling out dirty boxing moves on some rich guys it would increase the viewing quality. It was like the short version of Pearl Harbor because about ¾ of the movie was talking about feelings, then approximately 10 minutes of action, finishing with some guys dying. That’s it! This one, to be honest, might get returned. I am not hating on this being in a repertoire of DVD films. I am just pointing out there are some better films I would spend $1 on first.

On the way to return it at Walmart,

-Taters