Road House (1989)

★ 6.7 1h 54m 1,477 votes IMDb

The Double Deuce is the meanest, loudest and rowdiest bar south of the Mason-Dixon Line, and Dalton has been hired to clean it up. He might not look like much, but the Ph.D.-educated bouncer proves he's more than capable – busting the heads of troublemakers and turning the roadhouse into a jumping hot spot. But Dalton's romance with the gorgeous Dr. Clay puts him on the bad side of cutthroat local big shot Brad Wesley.

Road House

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Cast

Patrick Swayze
Patrick Swayze as James Dalton Died 2009 · Houston, Texas, USA Patrick Wayne Swayze (August 18, 1952 – September 14, 2009) was an American actor, dancer and singer-songwriter. Known for his romantic, tough, and comedic roles in blockbusters and cult films, Swayze...
Kelly Lynch
Kelly Lynch as Dr. Elizabeth Clay Age 67 · Golden Valley, Minnesota, USA Kelly Lynch (born January 31, 1959) is an American actress. Once a model for the Elite modeling agency, Lynch appeared in the film Drugstore Cowboy which starred Matt Dillon, and the film Road House w...
Sam Elliott
Sam Elliott as Wade Garrett Age 81 · Sacramento, California, USA Samuel Pack Elliott (born August 9, 1944) is an American actor. His rangy physique, thick horseshoe mustache, and deep, resonant voice (with a Western twang/drawl) match the iconic image of a cowboy o...
Ben Gazzara
Ben Gazzara as Brad Wesley Died 2012 · Manhattan, New York City, New York, USA Biagio Anthony Gazzarra (August 28, 1930 – February 3, 2012), known as Ben Gazzara, was an American film, stage, and television actor and director. His best known films include Anatomy of a Murder (19...
Marshall R. Teague
Marshall R. Teague as Jimmy Age 73 · Newport, Tennessee, USA Marshall R. Teague (born April 1953) is an American film and television actor. He is known for his role in the 1989 cult movie Road House and for his recurring role on the 1990s hit science fiction se...
Julie Michaels
Julie Michaels as Denise Age 55 · Northwest, Washington, USA Admittedly, the brand of the sultry, All-American bombshell has served Julie Michaels well in her acting career. Fans will agree that Julie's performance opposite Patrick Swayze in Road House (1989) w...

Audience Reviews

John Chard 7/10 Mar 16, 2019
The name is Dalton and we thought he would be bigger.

Dalton (Patrick Swayze) is a highly regarded professional cooler of bars and clubs. He is hired by Frank Tilghman (Kevin Tighe) to clean up his Double Deuce Road House down in Jasper, Missouri. A rough drunken and bloody place, the Double Deuce is just the start of Dalton's problems as he falls foul of town despot Brad Wesley (Ben Gazzara).

I don't know if it's the same the world over, but here in Britain a bouncer is very different to that of a doorman. This is something that anyone who has been in and round the profession can attest to. So even though the casting of Swayze at first glance seemed an odd one, his character Dalton (wonderfully essayed by him actually) is the epitome of a doorman cooler, where violence is the last resort and used only in extreme circumstances. All of which makes Road House an interesting film in the context of its subjects, it's only when the makers resort to cheap tricks and heavy formula that the film descends into soggy popcorn fodder.

The fight scenes are competently handled here, and the characters are an engaging bunch (an axis between Dalton and his landlord Emmet is particularly warm). It's also a very sexy film, mucho machismo for the lads and ladies as Swayze buffs up and kicks butt, while Kelly Lynch sets pulses raising as the perfectly toned, obligatory love interest, Doc Clay (this is a world where doctors look and are shaped like Lynch). A huge question remains though as to if Road House means to be as cheese funny as it is? Because outside of the obvious jokes (plenty) there's cringe moments that make you wonder if it's comedy first, hard buttock actioner second? Be that as it may, Road House is an entertaining film regardless. Scorned by many but cherished by a lot, it remains a late 80s genre splicer that now has something of a cult following. See it at least if only for Sam Elliott's delightful turn as Wade Garrett, the cooler with a reputation as big as Jasper itself. 7/10

Fotnote: Michael Kamen scores the music and basically uses the same score he used for Die Hard the previous year.

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