"Pain don't hurt."...( read more)erformance from Patrick Swayze in his prime. There isn't much weight to Road House, nor does it have any lofty ambitions, but it's a very enjoyable, breezy romp, and a perfect late night "guy flick".
Road House is the very definition of a guilty pleasure - it's packed with rousing action, a ludicrous story, a great soundtrack, gratuitous nudity, huge bare breasts, monster trucks, sex in strange places, roundhouse kicks and a great lead p
Inimitable '80s leading man Patrick Swayze stars as a legendary über-bouncer (or "cooler") named Dalton who has a philosophy degree and a black belt to boot. Dalton is recruited by club owner Frank Tilghman (Tighe) to clean up a rowdy bar. He accepts the job offer, thinking he'll be able to just swoop in for some easy money. But when the town kingpin Brad Wesley (Gazzara) takes an interest in seeing Dalton fail, he faces an adversary far tougher than any bar souse. Dalton initially tries to avoid conflicts, always maintaining his business philosophy of "be nice", but when Wesley threatens those closest to him, the reluctant pugilist realises he'll have to take action (and perhaps even be mean) in order to preserve the peace.
It isn't long before Road House degenerates into a nonstop string of fistfights. There's also a wispy subplot involving a flat romantic interest for Dalton (played by Kelly Lynch) who turns up with thick glasses and her hair in a bun. The plotline is incidental and silly, and it's virtually impossible to make good sense out of it, but this film knows how to entertain. Thus one should just sit back and enjoy the primal savagery of good vs. evil carnage. With emphasis on action, cheesy one-liners and histrionic characterisations, Road House is a celebration of '80s Hollywood excess and the art of visceral entertainment for entertainment's sake.
Road House is such a manly movie that the film stock practically has whiskers growing out of it. The whole thing is so rowdy that the director is a man named...Rowdy! Happily, director Rowdy Herrington knows how to shoot a brutal fight scene. He eschews anything resembling subtlety in favour of larger-than-life action set-pieces and characters that are either ridiculously ethical or flat-out evil. A massive kudos is also due to the screenwriters (David Lee Henry and Hilary Henkin) as well as director Herrington for inserting not one but two huge explosions into a movie about bar fights.
Patrick Swayze was just coming off the high of Dirty Dancing when he starred in this actioner. Swayze carries the film perfectly, emanating loads of charisma, machismo and intelligence. He truly had the chops to be a big '80s action star, and should've further exploited this potential. His character of Dalton is a masterfully-rendered protagonist, cut from the same cloth of anti-heroes like Clint Eastwood's laconic Man With No Name, but polished with the sheen of an erstwhile '80s superstar.
Swayze is also surrounded by a terrific supporting cast. Ben Gazzara as Brad Wesley hits all the right notes - he's an incredibly nasty, over-the-top villain. It's easy to hate Gazzara's scumbag of a character. The always capable Sam Elliot is perfect as Dalton's best friend and mentor Wade Garrett. Elliot (one of the industry's best character actors) is given the opportunity to be a complete badass, and capitalises on this opportunity at every turn. Meanwhile there's Kelly Lynch who's given a thankless "guy flick" role - in no way is she supposed to be complex or nuanced...she just needs to look good naked, which she does. The rest of the cast all seem very comfortable with their respective roles.
A tremendously enjoyable slice of romanticised fisticuffs, Road House is just a Western without the Stetsons and six guns. The film attempts little else than to provide its mostly male target audience with a thrill a minute. There is no pretence in Road House - it's just a bad film that you love to watch repeatedly in spite of your better judgement. What separates this balls-to-the-wall '80s actioner from more modern action duds (xXx, The Marine, The Fast and the Furious, and so on) is simply respect for the genre. A true action movie should be excessively violent if the subject warrants it...not neutered in order to attract a pre-teen audience for greater box office earnings. This is a prime example of how much fun an action film can be when filmmakers aren't trying to cater to the widest demographic possible. It's the type of action film best enjoyed with beer, pizza and friends.
"I used to fuck guys like you in prison."
Road House
70%
liked it
Road House
Anthony De Longis, Ben Gazzara, Jeff Healey, Kathleen Wilhoite, Keith David, Kelly Lynch, Kevin Tighe, Marshall R. Teague, Patrick Swayze, Red West, Sam Elliott, Tom Finnegan
Dalton is the Cooler in bars; He backs up and directs the bouncers. He takes a job in a Road House that has gotten far too rough. His attempts to clean things up put him in conflict with Brad Wesley, ...( read more
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Id: 10902269
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Recent Reviews
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August 4, 2009"Pain don't hurt."
...( read more)
Road House is the very definition of a guilty pleasure - it's packed with rousing action, a ludicrous story, a great soundtrack, gratuitous nudity, huge bare breasts, monster trucks, sex in strange places, roundhouse kicks and a great lead p -
February 9, 2009Monster trucks, Sam Elliot, and voyeuristic, nude Swayze-yoga Oh my!
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June 11, 2008This one I watched only because of Jeff Healey (one of the greatest blues performers). Entertaining.
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April 18, 2008its cool when he snaps that guys throat out of his neck. good watch but it doesnt stand the test of time well.
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November 1, 2009I love this Movie One of his best... He was a great actor and will be missed
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October 16, 2009This movie is great. It's all ridiculous action but that can be fun if you let it. The only thing I dislike is Lynch's character who is supposed to be the high and mighty/conscience of Swayze's character. She is just annoying. This movie is along the lines of Van Damme, Steven Se...( read more)
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