THE FOLLOWING REVIEW CONTAINS SPOILERS OF THE DISCUSSED FILM. READERS DISCRETION IS ADVISED.
Nowadays, you got to lay your own law to get people to listen. You don’t believe that? Look at Road House.
PLOT
The 1989 film follows professional bouncer James Dalton work security for a New York City club. Despite being looked at as most stoic/cool headed compared to his co workers, he is still tormented of killing a man in self defense by ripping out his throat. The reason came from how he was caught in an affair with the man’s wife. In the story’s present, he is recruited by businessman Frank Tilghman to take over security for his club in Missouri called ‘Double Deuce’. He is seeked for the job due to how he can handle endemic violence from rough customers better than anyone else. Dalton agrees to take it with the request of full authority of operations where he would fire multiple employees for poor behavior such as theft and drug dealing, where on the other hand he would mentor the rest who are well behaved in comparison. When settling in Missouri, he would stay in a sparse barn owned by a farmer named Emmet (Sunshine Parker), but across the lake is the mansion of crime lord Brad Wesley who controls the town in intimidating fashion through bribery & violence. When Wesley’s nephew Pat (John Doe) gets fired, he tries intimidating Frank to get his job but Dalton would kick him and his accomplices out. Receiving a knife wound in the process, he would tended to by Dr. Elizabeth Clay who is familiar with the club’s violence. As the two would quickly decide dating each other, Wesley would try to send the same henchmen from before to try disrupting Double Deuce’s business only for Dalton to prevent again. The crime lord tries hiring him to join his side, but the protagonist humbly refuses. This would only give him a chance to further prove his dominance by using his connections to prevent Frank from buying alcohol for Double Deuce. Dalton would use his own connections to supply for the club, but would get attacked again by the henchmen. Thankfully, he gets assistance from his mentor Wade Garrett who he invited to come to Missouri. After another successful fight, Dalton has him meet Elizabeth, which the two quickly befriend. Deep down, Dalton would feel doubtful on changing his lifestyle due to his violent past. Wade however would remind him he wasn’t at fault since the woman at the time never told him she was married before the incident. The next night, Wesley would continue his display of dominance by commuting arson on an auto shop that belonged to Clay’s father Red Webster (Red West). He would give a meaningless apology when allowing his girlfriend Denise (Julie Michaels) to do a striptease before his top henchman Jimmy Reno beats up Frank’s signature team of bouncers and calls out Wade before Dalton intervenes. The conflict would be halted when Wesley shoots his gun in the air and finally decides leaving. The act of dominance doesn’t stop from there because he would sabotage a car dealership owned by Stroudenmire (Jon Paul Jones). No one goes to the authorities because the cops are in Wesley’s pocket as well. Knowing Dalton is the reason of such actions. Clay insists on him to leave before he gets himself killed. Just as he refuses, Emmet’s home is destroyed by Jimmy. Dalton saves Emmet, but would defeat Jimmy in a fight in which he rips throat out like before which rightfully shocks Clay. The next day, Wesley calls him to say someone will die between Wade and Clay. Dalton tries to protect them both by defending Wade in another fight against the opposing goons. When choosing to check on Clay at the hospital, the same goons would go back to Double Deuce to finish off his mentor. Enraged, Dalton would go straight to Wesley’s mansion and take out the henchmen one by one before having the crime lord to himself. He almost rips his throat out like he did with Jimmy, but chooses to not further succumb to anger. Just when he chooses to be merciful, the villain would be shot down by Emmet, Red, Frank & Stroudenmire. Red would then stash the weapons and when local authorities arrive, they would corroborate they saw nothing which the cops go along with. The film would end with Dalton resuming his relationship with Clay, whereas a now modernized Double Deuce is bustling with customers.
THOUGHTS
Action has been my favorite genre because like other genres, it just knows how to get creative with its setting. The 80s can be looked at as the prime era of the genre because each film that came out within the decade, they knew how to hook the audience in time after time again. And this one was no exception because Rowdy Herrington made a rambunctious kind of movie that shouldn't be fun, yet it is. You never thought you would be interested in seeing the life of a bouncer because it sounds like they have it simple, until we get a case where it isn't really true. Back to back, the action edited well enough for me to be hooked because it all happens so fast you're wondering how the hell could they top it until they do in the next scene. You're either laughing at one guy getting trampled by a taxidermy or gasping over the throat rip. The one thing that makes thing the whole experience grounded is the magnetic performance of Patrick Swayze as Dalton. We are so connected to him from the start because we already sense not the stoicism but the bravery he has to bring to the job because bouncing is still a lifestyle that ain't for the faint of heart. With his past trauma and current determination to just be a better person than he sees himself, you pick up on the theme of how you don't always have to stick with what you know to solve a situation. Dalton was understanding how his anger would get the best of him no matter how calm he tried to be and deeply wanted a way out. Seemingly, he found it when he worked for Double Deuce because while making enemies he would put down, he found love in what looked like a hopeless place. Going into the rest of the cast, Elizabeth Kelly was arguably special as Clay because she had that equal warmth Dalton had deep down and she gave him a chance for sensing that. She had the right insisting he should leave because the violence in town bothers me more than she shows and can't bare losing people she cares about. She was rightfully scared when it came to him killing Jimmy, but she got by because she accepted he defended himself. But her reaction was enough to remind him he doesn't have to go that far. Since we see them together by the end, it's clear he's done fighting to survive and they'll enjoy what they have after. I also enjoyed Kevin Tighe as Frank because he took a chance when no one else could. He wanted a change not just for the bar, but for the town itself and chose Dalton because he knew he'd get just that without a doubt. It was quite realistic of a decision for him and the other townsmen to kill Wesley because they're the ones that were most tired and were determined to get the change they needed. Considering how nonchalant Dalton has to be for the most part, you had to wonder where he got it from. Lucky for him, he had a mentor who made him comfortable in being himself. Sam Elliott reminds us what a national treasure he is because as Wade, he has this aura where you just know he can mean well while still meaning business. It sounds unexplainable until he enters the scene and proves why he has such a feeling. He was a good friend to Dalton for reminding him he is still a good man that was put in the wrong position. It definitely stung when he died since he had his back when no one else did. With Dalton choosing to spare the enemy, it was his way to ensure he was not vain. Villains are never perfectly written in action movies, but they get the ball rolling in creating tension and always give a reason for the story to progress. Wesley was that guy and actor Ben Gazzara made him one stingy motherfucker. He was a manipulative guy towards the whole town because he knew he could and remained hungry more power because he knew he could take it. And the jealousy he had not having Clay for himself drove him more to act with such villainy. But like a lot of villains, he learns the hard way you could only push people so far they're bound to respond in large proportion which is what happened when the townsfolk shot him down. What I do give him credit for is having an army to display the intimidation he was going for. It was cool seeing WWE Hall of Famer Terry Funk play one of the goons named Morgan, but overall, Jimmy struck my eye the most as Marshall R Teague made him one who was the most emotionless of the gang. He was one with nothing to lose and embraced it with every move he made. He was the one that truly made Dalton reach his breaking point as his intention to deal with him only led to his demise. Had anyone other than Frank knew what they were in for, the story would've been over before it could ever start. This film is undoubtedly cool in its own way, but even I can admit there were some things I didn’t understand story wise. Like for example, Frank should be a little worried Dalton was willing to dump one job for another due to a better pay. I mean there is a lot of luck that he didn’t cave to Wesley. Dalton is definitely a badass for many things such as inviting Clay to Double Deuce knowing he can protect her, but he can’t guarantee the danger they’d come across so that is too high of a gamble he made. It is also cool for Dalton to have a supplier hook up he uses for Frank, but I don't think he should’ve waited so long to do so since the bar had so much to improve on already. Another thing, I can admit he was in the right defending himself the way he did, but he still could’ve avoided ripping out the guy’s throat by calling the police or disarming the gun from his hand. You guys know I hate continuity errors, so you know for sure how confused I was seeing Jimmy use a pool stick to assist his flip on one take, only for it to not be in his hand on the following shot. There should’ve been at least a nod that he dropped it, but there never is and it’s stupid that there isn’t. All of that confused me more than how Jimmy pulled off setting up explosives in Emmet’s home on his own undetected. I know Emmet was sleeping based on his pajamas he wore when Dalton was saving him, but Dalton & Clay were in the middle of an argument. And how based on how bright those lights were in the cabin, one of them should’ve spotted him at least. That is far from believable compared to Dalton actually sleeps and showers before finishing his rivalry with Wesley. If it was my cabin getting attacked, I would not rest and stop at nothing like Rambo. But hey, at least he does save the town. In short, Road House is one of the damnedest of action movies for letting loose on the insanity and ignoring reality to be identified as entertaining by the end of the day. If action is your favorite genre, check this out when you can.
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