Road House (1989 film)

Road House is a 1989 American action film directed by Rowdy Herrington and produced by Joel Silver. The film stars Patrick Swayze, Ben Gazzara, Kelly Lynch and Sam Elliott. In the film, a bouncer at a newly refurbished roadside bar protects a small town in Missouri from a corrupt businessman.

Road House has achieved cult status and was voted as the most watched film on cable in 2020. The film was followed by a direct-to-DVD 2006 sequel that was widely panned, and was then remade in 2024.

Plot
James Dalton is a professional bouncer working security for a club in New York City. Although stoic and cool-headed, Dalton is tormented by memories of a man he killed in self-defense by ripping out his throat. Frank Tilghman, a businessman, recruits Dalton to take over security at his club "Double Deuce" in Jasper, Missouri. Tilghman plans to invest substantial funds into the dilapidated club and needs Dalton's highly regarded skills to tackle the endemic violence and rough customers. Dalton agrees in exchange for full authority over the club's operations, immediately firing several employees for poor behavior, theft, and drug dealing. For privacy, Dalton stays in a sparse barn owned by a farmer named Emmett, unaware that the mansion across the adjacent lake is owned by Brad Wesley, a crime lord controlling the town through bribery, intimidation, and violence.

Wesley's nephew Pat, who is one of the fired employees, intimidates Tilghman into giving him his job back and attacks Dalton, who badly injures Pat and his accomplices. Receiving a knife wound in the process, Dalton visits a hospital and befriends Dr. Elizabeth Clay to whom Wesley is also attracted. After sending his henchmen to unsuccessfully try to disrupt business at the Double Deuce, Wesley offers to hire Dalton himself. Dalton refuses and Wesley uses his connections to prevent the Double Deuce from purchasing alcohol from any suppliers. Dalton uses his own connections to secure some supplies and reunites with his mentor Wade Garrett, an aging bouncer. Garrett arrived in town after receiving a disconcerting call from Dalton. Wesley sends his men to destroy the Double Deuce's supplies, but Dalton and Garrett defeat them.

One evening, the auto shop adjacent to the Double Deuce — owned by Elizabeth's uncle Red Webster — is destroyed in an arson attack. After Dalton and the crowds return inside the Double Deuce, they find Wesley awaiting them. He has his men fight Dalton's bouncers and damage the bar before agreeing to leave. Wesley sabotages other businesses as the local owners discuss their futile efforts to stop him. Garrett attempts to calm Dalton, trying to assuage his guilt about killing in self-defense and his frustration at being unable to end Wesley's campaign. Elizabeth also tries to dissuade Dalton from continuing before Emmett's home is blown up by Wesley's henchman Jimmy Reno. Although Emmett is saved, the enraged Dalton fights Reno and rips his throat out, much to Elizabeth's shock and disgust.

Later, Wesley contacts Dalton threatening that either Elizabeth or Garrett will die. Garrett is attacked, but fights off his assailants and comes to Double Deuce, while Dalton checks on Elizabeth, who is safe but unwilling to talk to Dalton any further. Dalton returns to the bar to find Garrett murdered. Distraught, Dalton storms Wesley's estate, kills most of his henchmen and defeats, but relents from killing Wesley, refusing to give in to his anger. Elizabeth arrives and reconciles with Dalton, but Wesley recovers and attempts to shoot him before being shot dead by the locals, including Emmett and Red. The police arrive, but all present claim that they saw nothing. Sometime later, the modernized and refined Double Deuce bustles with customers while Dalton and Elizabeth swim together in a lake.

Casting
Annette Bening was originally cast as Dr. Elizabeth Clay. However, the role was recast because she and Patrick Swayze had too little chemistry, and she was replaced by Kelly Lynch. Scott Glenn turned down the role of Jimmy Reno, which eventually went to Marshall Teague. Joel Silver cast Sam Elliott as Garrett due to his "baggage".

Filming
Filming started in April 1988 on location throughout California, primarily in Newhall, Valencia, and Canyon Country. The filming of much of the "New Double Deuce" used Anaheim's Cowboy Boogie, also later called the Bandstand among other names until it closed. The opening and monster truck scenes were filmed in Reedley, California. The Kings River runs between the two residences. The monster truck used was Bigfoot #7, which was originally built for the film. The scene cost $500,000 to film. While filming the famous fistfight scene, Marshall broke Swayze's ribs.

Music
The soundtrack for Road House features Canadian guitarist Jeff Healey, whose band is featured in the film as the house band for the Double Deuce. Cruzados are the band in the opening credits, contributing three songs to the film that never made the soundtrack. Patrick Swayze also wrote one song and sang two for the soundtrack. The film's score was composed by Michael Kamen. A limited edition 14-track score album part of the Special Collection was issued by Intrada Records in 2012. An expanded limited 31-track score was reissued for the film's 30th anniversary by La-La Land Records in 2019.

Road House: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack

Road House: Original Motion Picture Score

Theatrical
The film premiered in New York and Los Angeles on May 19, 1989.

Home media
Between VHS, DVD, Blu-ray and streaming service sales, Road House has grossed over $203 million, including its original box office of $61 million. The film was originally released on VHS and then on DVD. In the United States Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer first released the film on DVD on February 4, 2003, with a 2.35:1 aspect ratio and theatrical trailer as the sole extra feature. In 2006 a Deluxe Edition DVD was released with two audio commentaries including one with the director, two featurettes titled "On the Roadhouse" and "What Would Dalton Do?". Road House was first issued by MGM on Blu-ray disc on June 2, 2009. A second disc combines the same six special features ported from the Deluxe DVD. After being reissued numerous times in the U.S., in 2016 Shout! Factory released a 2-disc Blu-ray collectors edition with fourteen extra features with material ported over from the previous editions. New supplements include a 'Making of' documentary with new interviews by Herrington, actors Kelly Lynch, John Doe, Kevin Tighe, Julie Michaels and Red West, a separate conversation with the director and featurette for the film's music. The magnet clasp boxed limited edition 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray/Blu-ray combo pack from Vinegar Syndrome was released on November 25, 2022.

Box office
The film grossed $30 million in the United States and Canada and $31 million internationally for a worldwide total of $61 million. It has also found life on cable television.

Critical response
On Rotten Tomatoes, Road House has a rating of 44% based on 50 reviews, with an average rating of 5.40/10. The consensus states: "Whether Road House is simply bad or so bad it's good depends largely on the audience's fondness for Swayze -- and tolerance for violently cheesy action." Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "B" on an A+ to F scale.

Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun-Times gave the film two and a half out of four stars and commented, "Road House exists right on the edge between the 'good-bad movie' and the merely bad. I hesitate to recommend it, because so much depends on the ironic vision of the viewer. This is not a good movie. But viewed in the right frame of mind, it is not a boring one, either."

When interviewed by Anthony Bourdain, Bill Murray lauded the film as unappreciated, with a complex plot and respect among actors in the film industry since its release.

Accolades
Road House was nominated for (but did not "win") five Golden Raspberry Awards: Worst Picture, Worst Actor (Patrick Swayze), Worst Supporting Actor (Ben Gazzara), Worst Director, and Worst Screenplay. The film is listed in Golden Raspberry Award founder John Wilson's book The Official Razzie Movie Guide as one of The 100 Most Enjoyably Bad Movies Ever Made.

Other media
A sequel, Road House 2, was released directly to DVD in July 2006. Set many years later and telling the story of Dalton's adult son, it featured no characters from the original cast and only a few references to Dalton (who was reportedly shot dead before the film took place). The sequel confirmed that Dalton's first name was James, which could be seen momentarily on the medical chart in the original film's hospital scene, but which had been otherwise left unsaid. At the same time Road House 2 was released, the original film was reissued in a deluxe edition featuring, among other features, separate audio commentary tracks by director Herrington, Kevin Smith, and Scott Mosier, which the duo had expressed an interest in during the introduction of the tenth anniversary Clerks DVD.

In 2003, an off-Broadway musical production of Road House was staged as a campy comedy by Timothy Haskell, as seen by its full title of Road House: The Stage Version Of The Cinema Classic That Starred Patrick Swayze, Except This One Stars Taimak From The 80's Cult Classic "The Last Dragon" Wearing A Blonde Mullet Wig.

In the Family Guy season 8 episode "Brian's Got a Brand New Bag", Peter Griffin purchases a DVD copy of Road House for a dollar at a closing video store. After watching the film, he decides that the only way to solve every problem is by roundhouse kicking everything in sight including his family. The episode was dedicated in memory of Swayze, who died of pancreatic cancer on September 14, 2009.

Following the death of Eric Garner, the New York City Police Department began using a scene from Road House as part of a mandatory, three-day retraining course for 22,000 officers expected to "be nice" under pressure.

In the Young Sheldon season 4, episode 2 titled "A Docent, A Little Lady And A Bouncer Named Dalton" (November 2020), it is discovered that Mary's secret pleasure is watching action movies like Road House, which creates an unexpected bond with her teenager son Georgie.

Remake
On September 9, 2015, it was announced that Ronda Rousey would star in a remake of Road House. On October 12, 2015, Nick Cassavetes was announced to write and direct the film. However, plans for the film fell through and the remake was quietly canceled in 2016.

In November 2021, it was reported that Jake Gyllenhaal was in talks to star in a remake of Road House by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer with Doug Liman directing. In August 2022, a full cast was announced including Conor McGregor, Billy Magnussen, Gbemisola Ikumelo and Daniela Melchior and would debut on Amazon Prime Video. The film is rumored to have a similar plot with a modern twist. Gyllenhaal's character is to be a former UFC fighter who is now retired and working at a roadhouse in the Florida Keys. Production for the movie began in August 2022 and was released worldwide on Amazon Prime on March 21, 2024, following its premiere at South by Southwest.