Road House

Rating:
Summary: So bad its good guilty pleasure
Review: Road House is an enjoyable movie that you may not be proud to admit you enjoy watching. Head bouncer Dalton is well known for his ability to clean up seedy bars. The owner of a wild, rowdy bar in Jasper, Oklahoma, the Double Duece, hires Dalton to be his head bouncer, a "cooler", and clean up his bar. Upon arriving in Jasper, Dalton discovers a town run by a corrupt businessman who takes money from all the small businesses for "protection." Dalton, along with his friend Wade, decide to help clean out the town no matter what it takes. This is definitely one of those movies that is so bad that it is good. Basically every line in the movie is a cliche, but what's wrong with that? Good action throughout. For a movie that allows you to shut off your brain and watch some mindless action, this is it.

Patrick Swayze stars as Dalton, the head bouncer of the Double Duece. Swayze is basically playing himself in the role of an intelligent, existential thinking bouncer. Ben Gazzara plays Jasper kingpin, Brad Wesley, the man who runs the town with an iron fist because no one is willing to stand up to him. Kelly Lynch plays the love interest, Dr. Elizabeth Clay, a woman who has a past with Brad but starts to fall for Dalton. Sam Elliot is at his coolest as Wade Garrett, Dalton's friend, mentor, and fellow cooler. Road House also stars Marshall Teague, Julie Michaels, Red West, Sunshine Parker, Jeff Healey, and Kevin Tighe. The DVD offers both widescreen and standard presentations of the movie and a theatrical trailer. For a fun movie with a good cast and plenty of action, check out Road House!

Rating:
Summary: Bob R.'s Line
Review: I had a lousy boss who used to say."It's my way or the Highway".When I heard Dalton tell this to his mentally challenged assemblage,I had to laugh!Dalton is my hero,a Ph.D from NYU kicking a$$ in a sleazy dump with a bunch of rednecks,and my bestest buddy is Sam Elliot who shows my girlfriend his pubic hair in a diner.This is the best of the worst,the reason why Patrick Swayze is now really working at The Double Deuce as a bartender.Turn off your mind,relax float downstream.It is the only way to watch Road House.Absolutely don't miss this one!!!

Rating:
Summary: Great Guy Movie, okay dvd
Review: This is a solid 4.5 star movie. But the dvd is only 4 stars due to only dolby 2.0 sound and almost no extras.

But it is a guys movie all the way, good fight scenes, explosions and splash of frontal nudity. This excelent movie is in the same sprit as Die Hard, Lethal Weapon, AlienS and Pale Rider.
Surprisingly you can also watch this with women since they go gaga remembering DirtyDancing and Ghost which also stared Patrick Swayze.

The only complaint I have is about the effort they put in producing this DVD. Happy that IT IS widescreen but upset at the plainess of the DVD almost no options or extras. I would have loved to see a featureette of Swayze being trained by Benny "The Jet" Urquidez (who also makes a cameo appearance). And what is up with only dolby 2.0...Jeez does no justice to the fine soundtrack created by Jeff Healy.

Rating:
Summary: DALTON.......ONE TOUGH S.O.B.
Review: WHAT GUY HASN'T GONE INTO A NIGHTCLUB OR BAR WITH HIS BUDDIES AND THOUGHT TO HIMSELF THAT BOUNCER'S NOT SO TUFF.WELL IN THIS HIGH OCTANE ACTION FLICK,SWAYZE(DALTON)SHOWS US SIZE DOESN'T MATTER.THIS FILM APPEALS TO THE TOUGH GUY IN ALL OF US AND IT DELIVERS THE GOODS.PATRICK SWAYZE DOES A GOOD JOB AS DALTON.BUT EVEN BETTER IS THE PERFORMANCE BY THE VERY UNDERRATED SAM ELLIOT AS DALTON'S AMIGO WADE.TOGETHER DALTON AND WADE KICK BUTT AND SHOW THAT THEIR BOND IS UNBREAKABLE.ALSO BEN GAZZARA'S CHARACTER MAKES YOU WANT TO REACH THROUGH THE TV SCREEN AND POUND HIM.THERE IS A SPECTACULAR FIGHT SCENE BETWEEN.WAIT I DON'T WANT TO SPOIL IT FOR ANYONE.THERE IS ALSO SOME GOOD MUSIC IN THIS MOVIE FROM JEFF HEALEY.OVERALL THIS MOVIE IS NON-STOP ACTION AND GOOD ENTERTAINMENT FOR FIGHT FILM FAN'S.THE DVD HAS A GOOD PICTURE AND STEREO SOUND BUT REALLY NOTHING MORE THAN THAT.I GIVE THE MOVIE 5 STARS,BUT SOME KIND OF INTERVIEWS OR COMMENTARY WOULD HAVE BEEN NICE.

Rating:
Summary: A film that delivers just what it promises -- that's rare!
Review: Mike Nelson, one of the brains behind the television comedy �Mystery Science Theater 3000� wrote in his hysterical book �Mike Nelson�s Movie Megacheese� that � ROAD HOUSE is the single finest American film. Certainly it stinks, but I believe the filmmakers meant it to, and succeeded grandly.�

It�s hard to argue with this logic once you�ve seen �Road House.� It�s trash. It�s sleazy. It�s often ludicrously stupid. The characters may talk philosophical bilge, but when it comes down to it they solve everything with their fists and shotguns. But that�s what the filmmakers wanted, and that�s what they deliver. (What do you expect from a director named �Rowdy�?) Looking for a good time along those lines? Just want some butt-kickin�, naked girls, barroom brawls, monster trucks, things going BOOM, Patrick Swayze mouthing silly lines and wrestling mean sweaty ugly guys while near naked, yet still getting up for his tai-chi in the morning? Well, �Road House� has got all that and more, and you�re going to have a good time. There�s trashy purity about this film that�s rather refreshing.

The plot? Yeah, it�s got one � just enough of one. Patrick Swayze (in what is really the defining role of his career) plays Dalton, a famous bouncer with a degree in philosophy, an attitude like a motivational speaker, kick-boxing moves, and who practices tai-chi. Dalton is one of the damned silliest characters in action film history, but you gotta love his outrageousness. Dalton comes to the town of Jasper outside of Kansas City to help clean up the Double Deuce bar, possibly the meanest bar in cinema history outside of a Western. Dalton whips the place into shape, romances local doctor Kelly Lynch, but then has to face the evil town boss, Brad Wesley (Ben Gazzara!), who won�t release his financial grip of fear he has on the town. (I believe this was the plot of every A-Team episode, wasn�t it?). Every few minutes, people pound each other with their fists, the band plays a loud blues tune, somebody takes off their clothes, and then they knock back some �suds. Oh, and Sam Elliott�s in the film too!

The action scenes are pretty darned wacky, along the lines of �gee, imagine if he had hit him!� and plenty of strange martial arts moves, but they�re loads of fun. Get a group together with the right mindset, and this is once great party flick.

The DVD has no extras except for a trailer. Imagine what this would have been like with some audio commentary from director Rowdy? I would love to hear his philosophical approach to this film. I�m sure he didn�t have one, but wouldn�t it have added to enjoyment of what Mike Nelson calls �the finest American film� to hear him just make one up?

At this point, I�m sure you know if �Road House� is a flick for you. And if you know, go for it. It doesn�t let you down. If it delivers the goods it promises, it gets four stars in my book. Even if it really isn�t that good. But I think that�s the point.