Where to begin? Swayze plays uber-bad ass Jack Crews, an ex-con who used to be a truck driver before he committed a vehicular manslaughter. Out on parole, he is trying to piece his family back together by being an honest, hard working man. Conveniently, he is offered a job running a load to Atlanta, without knowing the cargo. He tries to do the right thing and turn down the job due to lack of license, but when he notices the poorly hidden eviction notice his wife hid in the kitchen drawer, he decides to do it. He picks up the load from Red, a Bible-thumping truck owner who is really evil, played gleefully over the top by the one and only Meat Loaf. RESPECT THE BOLO TIE. Swayze is accompanied by a crew of misfits including: a bearded wonder named Earl, played by Randy Travis; token black dude; and a numbskull white guy there for comic relief. About halfway through the route, they discover they are in for more than they bargained for as Red and his cronies try to hijack the load, which really contains a shitload of illegal weaponry. With Red and the FBI hot on his tail, Jack Crew does the only thing he knows how: keep driving.
Let's begin with Swayze himself. The man is the epitome of a grizzled truck driving ex-con. He wears shades, alot of denim, and the same expresionless face the entire movie. Don't believe me? Take a look:
He knows how to do two things: drive trucks, and kill.
That is the same expression he has the entire film, whether he is pissed off, sad, happy, or listening to Randy Travis sing awful songs about horoscopes. He remains cool under pressure, and shows off some slick driving skills while behind the wheel of a big rig. For instance, there's one point where Red and his boys are shoving a blue Camaro driven by Token Black Guy down the interstate SIDEWAYS for several miles. He instructs the Black Guy to floor it at the last minute, and as the Bad Guys attempt to ram the Camaro, the Camaro escapes and the Bad Guys rear end the truck...AND BURST INTO FLAMES. This happens not once, but twice...every car that attempts to take Swayze and his boys off the road ultimately meet a fiery death that is both hilarious and impossible. You must see it to believe it.
The FBI agents following the rig by surveillance are played comically by Charles S. Dutton and Stephen Tobolowsky, two gifted actors who appear to be slumming it for the sake of a paycheck. Tobolowsky plays the cool-headed, zen like agent while Dutton plays the stereotypical angry Black police officer who shouts every line intensely and tries too hard to paint the seriousness of the situation. Literally every line he speaks is spoken with the ferocity of a drill sargent and my life is better for it. Pure comedy in every scene they are in.
Meat Loaf...where to begin. Quotes the Bible, wears a Bolo tie and tight fitting western wear. Reminds me of the serial bomber from that episode of "Walker Texas Ranger"...virtually the same exact character, and just as funny. Meat Loaf is an amazing performer, but acting wise he has seen better days; watch either "Fight Club" or "Spice World" for proof.
In the end, Swayze of course saves the day, pays off his debt and lives happily ever after with his wife. There are worse ways you can spend ninety minutes, that's for sure. I could rattle off all the great one liners and hilarious bad acting, but really, save me the trouble and watch this yourself. It's on HULU, for FREE, so if you got nothing to do tonight, watch this. Patrick Swayze will thank you.
R.I.P PATRICK SWAYZE.
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