Road House

Starring: Patrick Swayze, Kelly Lynch, Sam Elliott, Ben Gazzara
Directed by: Rowdy Herrington
Rating: R
Genre: Action, Drama, Romance
1989

Times Seen:
Tim: 1

Summary: A run-down road house is falling apart- until Dalton (Patrick Swayze), the best bouncer in the business, is hired to clean it up. He makes great strides, but runs afoul of the town's corrupt businessman (Ben Gazzara), who is determined to bring Dalton down.

Review:

Tim: Road House is an interesting movie. It is an action film, but it also focused much of its energy on the drama and romantic parts. It is definitely deserving its "R" rating, featuring much foul language, violence (including some gruesome scenes), and nudity. It is definitely an adult movie.

The film is entertaining because Dalton is such a great character. We immediately want him to succeed, and feel an emotional investment in him. We want him to beat the bad guys, and it is frustrating to see the bad guys do so much harm. The film also works because this is not the type of movie you see all the time.

Patrick Swayze is excellent as Dalton. He is such a cool character because he is a combination of different extremes, put together in an unconventional and surprising way. He seems like a good person, but he'd be the first person to disagree with that sentiment. He's a great character. I also loved seeing Sam Elliott in his role. He interacts very well with Swayze, and it's fun seeing these men together. Sadly, the rest of the cast is cringe-inducing. They are all just awful, either incredibly boring or far too over-the-top.

Road House has some great scenes, some excellent fight sequences, and some decent drama. However, as the movie progresses, it begins to fall apart. The film's conclusion is awful- as if everyone involved forgot what made the film good in the first place. There are several scenes throughout the movie that are simply not needed. These prevent the film from being truly great. As is, this movie is entertaining, different, and therefore, worth your time.

Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating: 7



If You Enjoyed This Movie, We Recommend: Ghost, Next of Kin, Red Dawn