Writer: R Lance Hill, Hilary Henkin (Screenplay)
Starring: Patrick Swayze, Kelly Lynch, Sam Elliott, Ben Gazzara, Marshall R Teague, Julie Michaels, Red West, Sunshine Parker
Plot: A tough bouncer is hired to tame a dirty bar.
There may be spoilers the rest of the review
Verdict: Fun Action Thriller
Story: Road House starts as we get to see how Dalton (Swayze) can control a bar from getting out of control. This leads to him being offered a role as a cooler for the Double Deuce owned by Tilghman (Tighe). The bar is filled with the roughest crowd around and Dalton puts in his plan to make the bar run smoother bringing in a sociable night out for people.
With Dalton in control of the bar, he gets rid of the problems within the staff making an enemy with the local crime boss Brad Wesley (Gazzara) who has been using the bar to conduct business. To fight back Dalton calls the best in the business Wade Garrett (Elliott) to put a stop to all the illegal activities Wesley is involved in.
Thoughts on Road House
Characters/Performance – Dalton is a man with a reputation of being a man people fear and respect within the bar and bouncer community. He gets recruited but ends up finding himself having to battle a crime boss controlling the town, he is a strong likeable character that is filled with regret after going too far once. Doc is the love interest for Dalton as well as being an almost pawn in the battle between Dalton and the Crime Boss Wesley. This isn’t the strongest female character you will see. Wade is the traditional mentor figure needed to explain the skills Dalton has, with Brad Wesley being the villain small town America could easily have.
Patrick Swayze shines in this role where he commands the screen in every single scene, Kelly Lynch is good but not anywhere near the level of Swayze with Sam Elliott giving us the performance we know he can do as the strong supporting friend. Ben Gazzara does a great job as the villain of the piece who enjoys the terror he reigns over the town.
Story – Looking into the story we get an easy to follow story of one outsider going on a crusade against a crime boss. Having only seen this for the first time I can say this does play out in the similar veins of Walking Tall and with that I found myself enjoying this all that much more. You can see the 80’s all over the story though which could turn people off but could also help people enjoy all that more.
Action/Thriller – We have action with all of the fights going with each fight becoming bigger as the story unfolds. We are left to keep things guessing as to where the story will unfold.
Settings – We are left in small town America which is nearly perfect for this film.
Special Effects – We get small amounts of the effects needed in a film which is all the film needs.
Final Thoughts –80’s films will always go in two different directions when we get to go back in time, they have either dated, become a cult or a true classic and this is one that still stands up.
Overall: This is a fun 80’s classic which is one you can enjoy.
Rating