Watch George Strait in His First Movie, A CIA Cold War Thriller

In 1992, George Strait was the headliner in the movie, 'Pure Country'. It was profitable at the box office, but not a huge commercial success. There were plenty of positive reviews from his fans.

Strait played the part of 'Dusty' Chandler, a country music singer who walked away from stardom in search of himself.

According to the movie trailer, it was billed as George Strait's motion picture debut...

...Pure Country Was NOT George Strait's Movie Debut

I was browsing the web today and took a look at "This Day in Country Music." It had an entry concerning George Strait for August 27, 1982.

It was on this day, 43 years ago, that Strait made his movie debut in 'The Soldier'.

READ MORE: George Strait Chosen By Donald Trump To Be Kennedy Center Honoree

George Strait's Role in 'The Soldier'

'The Soldier' is a Cold War action movie that features rogue KGB agents from Russia who steal plutonium to set off a nuclear bomb at a massive oil field in Saudi Arabia.

Enter an elite CIA agent, codenamed the Soldier, to kick some butt and make the world safe again. I love the promotional description of the main character, "You don't assign him, you unleash him."

Where the heck does George Strait fit in a movie like this?

It looks like a movie producer or writer wanted to latch on to the popularity of the Urban Cowboy craze. So a honky tonk scene, complete with a mechanical bull, female mud wrestling, and an all-out bar fight, was included.

Instead of Johnny Lee, Mickey Gilley, or Charlie Daniels performing on stage, it was George Strait singing 'Fool Hearted Memory', which went on to become his first number one song.

(CAUTION: the scene below contains profanity and partial muddy nudity)

Strait looks like he's barely out of his teenage years in the video, but he had just turned 30. Regardless, he was still a newcomer in the country music world when the movie was made.

I would love to know the backstory on how a low-profile Central Texas singer was cast for a spy movie, complete with Russian operatives, terrorism, and America threatening to bomb Israeli soldiers.

Where Can You Watch This Movie?

Believe it or not, you can still subject yourself watch this film on several streaming networks. It's available for Amazon Prime subscribers, and it's free on Tubi and Roku.