The Eighties, a time when hair was huge, fashion was loud, Mtv influenced the minds of a young generation, and a barrage of over the top action movies fueled by unending supplies of testosterone and bad one liners rampaged through theaters.  Among these movies was a bar brawler named Road House as it punched and kicked its way across the big screen. 

Starring:

Patrick Swayze as ‘Pain don’t hurt.’ Dalton.  Tough as nails cooler whose claim to fame is that he once ripped a mans throat out with one hand.  

Sam Elliot as Wade ‘The Double Douche.’ Garrett.  Legendary cooler with the reputation of being the best in the business, and who is also a mentor to Dalton.

Ben Gazzara as Brad ‘Get this piece of shit out of here.” Wesley.  Shady business man and the founder of the Jasper Improvement Plan.

Kelly Lynch as Doc Elizabeth ‘Well who’s going to save them from you?’ Clay.  Small town emergency room doctor and love interest of Dalton.

Marshall Teague as Jimmy ‘I used to fuck guys like you in prison.’.  Ex-con and right hand man to Brad Wesley.

The script written by R. Lance Hill and Hilary Henkin has the familiar old west theme that pits the lone gun for hire against the corrupt land baron and his group of thugs who terrorize the helpless inhabitants of a small town.  In this eighties era variation of the same plot, Dalton finds himself in the cross hairs of Brad Wesley upon taking a job at The Double Deuce, a local watering hole located in the small town of Jasper that’s under the controlling fist of Wesley.  On the scale of predictability this film scores a hundred percent while never deviating from the standard three act structure.  Following a straight path from start to finish, if there’s anyone who hasn’t seen the original Road House since the remake came out earlier this year, there shouldn’t be any great expectations of viewing an entirely different plot.

As for the acting, taking the lead in this bar brawler is Patrick Swayze who really isn’t that believable when it comes to portraying a charismatic hero capable of charming the ladies, or tearing a mans throat out in a fight to the death.  If the role called for a pretty looking guy with a mullet to lean against a wooden beam, well then Swayze was the guy for the job.  

While on the other end of the spectrum there’s Sam Elliot, who while taking a backseat to Swayze, already had the personality and physicality to play the role of Dalton.  While it only makes sense to cast Elliot as Wade Garrett due to him being older than Swayze, it just feels like a lost opportunity when watching Elliot play the smooth talking, take no shit cooler.

As for Ben Gazzara, his portrayal of the sociopathic antagonist corrupted by power and greed, that’s fueled by the ability to get everything he wants, except for the one thing Dalton has, Gazzara hits the nail on the head with his portrayal of Brad Wesley.  Obviously Gazzara’s character isn’t meant to be liked, but there’s something about his care free attitude that makes him a slightly likable although unhinged kind of guy.  

For the rest of the cast, Kelly Lynch is there as the stereo typical helpless damsel in distress who has mixed feelings about Dalton and what he aims to accomplish.  And finally there’s Marshal Teague, who is also typecast in the role of the right hand man to Brad Wesley.  Basically he’s the physical obstruction that Dalton needs to get through to reach Wesley.

As for the cinematography it captures that feeling of being in a small town that’s slowly dying, a place where everyone knows each other and their struggles to survive.  Yet every Friday and Saturday night the place takes on a whole new appearance with the help of cheap booze and beer while the house band plays the same set list from last weekend, every weekend.  

So while Road House is neither a great movie nor a bad one, it’s a movie that drifts somewhere in between.  If watched with a care free no expectations attitude, this movie can be laughably entertaining.  The viewer just needs to remember the era in which this film was made and it will all become clear as to what is being viewed.