I dont know how many forum members have seen the movie version of "The Outsiders". I had to read the S.E. Hinton novel and see the movie for my English class in high school. I hadnt seen the movie for a while, but just finished watching it today. When one sees the names and faces in that movie, it is one whose cast could probably never be assembled today.
For those who havent seen the movie version, the cast included Tom Cruise, Rob Lowe, Emilo Estevez, Patrick Swayze, Diane Lane, (A very young Diane Lane) Ralph Machio, and the late River Phoenix. It is the story of rival gangs and their struggles. When the movie was made, none of the actors in it was known, and if I recall, some of them got their big breaks where their careers really took off for a time after "The Outsiders", with Lowe and Estevez going on to star in the 1985 hit "St Elmo's Fire", Swazye making it big a couple of years after that with "Dirty Dancing", Cruise getting a big break with "Risky Business" River Phoenix with "Stand by me", Ralph Macchio's hits "The Karate Kid", and then Diane Lane even with her recent hits "Under the Tuscan Sun" and "Walk on the Moon". Of the actors in "The Outsiders", Cruise has been the one with the most staying power, as his current movie "Collateral" indicates. Diane Lane has had recent success with films, but some of the others have had varying careers and have virtually sank out of sight. Then, of course was River Phoenix's tragic drug overdose death in 1993.
The point of my post is to analyze the star power of that movie and put it into perspective with the actors careers in general. While Cruise has of course been the most successful of any actor in that movie, the cast when measured by the success in their careers was amazing. I think it is the best"unknown" movie cast ever assembled. Has anyone else seen this movie? What are people's thoughts?
Mitch
For those who havent seen the movie version, the cast included Tom Cruise, Rob Lowe, Emilo Estevez, Patrick Swayze, Diane Lane, (A very young Diane Lane) Ralph Machio, and the late River Phoenix. It is the story of rival gangs and their struggles. When the movie was made, none of the actors in it was known, and if I recall, some of them got their big breaks where their careers really took off for a time after "The Outsiders", with Lowe and Estevez going on to star in the 1985 hit "St Elmo's Fire", Swazye making it big a couple of years after that with "Dirty Dancing", Cruise getting a big break with "Risky Business" River Phoenix with "Stand by me", Ralph Macchio's hits "The Karate Kid", and then Diane Lane even with her recent hits "Under the Tuscan Sun" and "Walk on the Moon". Of the actors in "The Outsiders", Cruise has been the one with the most staying power, as his current movie "Collateral" indicates. Diane Lane has had recent success with films, but some of the others have had varying careers and have virtually sank out of sight. Then, of course was River Phoenix's tragic drug overdose death in 1993.
The point of my post is to analyze the star power of that movie and put it into perspective with the actors careers in general. While Cruise has of course been the most successful of any actor in that movie, the cast when measured by the success in their careers was amazing. I think it is the best"unknown" movie cast ever assembled. Has anyone else seen this movie? What are people's thoughts?
Mitch
