Road House (1989)

A tough bouncer is hired to tame a dirty bar.

Director:

Rowdy Herrington

Writers:

David Lee Henry (story), David Lee Henry (screenplay),

Stars:

Patrick Swayze, Kelly Lynch, Sam Elliott

5 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Patrick Swayze	...	Dalton
Kelly Lynch	...	Doc
Sam Elliott	...	Wade Garrett
Ben Gazzara	...	Brad Wesley
Marshall R. Teague	...	Jimmy (as Marshall Teague)
Julie Michaels	...	Denise
Red West	...	Red Webster
Sunshine Parker	...	Emmet (as 'Sunshine' Parker)
Jeff Healey	...	Cody
Kevin Tighe	...	Tilghman
John Doe	...	Pat McGurn
Kathleen Wilhoite	...	Carrie
Travis McKenna	...	Jack
Roger Hewlett	...	Younger
Kurt James Stefka	...	Hank

Storyline

Dalton is the Cooler in bars; He backs up and directs the bouncers. He takes a job in a Road House that has gotten far too rough. His attempts to clean things up put him in conflict with Brad Wesley, the town bully and rich person. Things heat up.

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Plot Keywords:

bouncer | bar | violence | doctor | stage | 

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Taglines:

The dancing's over. Now it gets dirty.

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Genres:

Action | Thriller

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Certificate:

R

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English Portuguese

Release Date:

19 May 1989 (USA)

Also Known As:

El duro

Filming Locations:

20117 E Trimmer Springs Rd, Sanger, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$17,000,000 (estimated)

Gross:

$30,050,028 (USA)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Silver Pictures, Star Partners II Ltd.

Technical Specs

Runtime:

114 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The book Dalton is reading is Jim Harrison's "A Good Day to Die".

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Goofs

During the fight in the Double Deuce office, Dalton's shirt is torn and bloody in the exact spot before being slashed by Tinker.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Bouncer Checking IDs: [to Frank Tilghman, as he enters the Bandstand] Go ahead, sir.

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Crazy Credits

While the end credits are rolling, the house band does one more number.

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Connections

Referenced in Rifftrax Live: Birdemic - Shock and Terror (2012)

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Soundtracks

"I'm Tore Down"
Written by Sonny Thompson
Produced by Jimmy Iovine
Performed by The Jeff Healey Band
Courtesy of Arista Records

User Reviews

quite simply, the greatest american film ever made

this is an amazing movie. i have never enjoyed a moviegoing experience more than when i watched "road house," and i say that with complete honesty. this is not to say that "road house" is a good movie; it's truly awful. c'mon, it's got patrick swayze as the lead character! the man cannot act! his performances are wooden enough to deserve a layer of wood varnish! however, this movie is a blast. patrick goes to a town that is run by Mr. Evil (that's not his name, but it might as well be). Mr. Evil does nothing but mean things, just stopping short of eating children. patrick is paid to go from town to town, teaching bouncers how to be bouncers. of course, Mr. Evil and patrick cross swords and hijinks ensue. it just goes to show you that everything good in life can be learned in a house. on a road.

this movie has it all. random nudity? check. senseless violence? check. painfully ridiculous dialogue? triple check. plus, it has a monster truck! and there's a bad guy who looks like the understudy for former wrestler lou albino! and a blind man plays horrible versions of early 60s rock tunes, providing the sole soundtrack! and a throat gets ripped out of an unarmed man's neck in a fight scene! and patrick swayze shows his naked buttocks off to a lady that isn't even his romantic interest! what more could you want in a movie?

if you like laughing at how poorly movies can be made, this is one that will keep you from getting bored. road house, i salute you!