It was good to be a teenager in the 80's; we had so many career
inspirations! I can't count how many job changes I contemplated
between ages 12 and 15. I was going to be a ninja, a fighter pilot
and, perhaps... a bouncer?! One would think it a bit strange that
there might be a "bouncer subculture," but Road House didn't
need to play by any rules. It was the end of the decade of decadence,
and everyone went down to their local bar or discotheque to spend big
bucks and snort their favorite pharmaceutical. I'm sure there must
have been bouncers to rule all bouncers, but being just a wee bit
underage at the time, I can't say that I'd been there, only that I
could dream of being one.
Patrick Swayze stars as Dalton, a
super-tough yet suave bouncer. He learned all his skills from an even
tougher, older bouncer by the name of Wade, played with much swank by
Sam Elliot. It seems the proprietor of the Double Deuces in Missouri
wants to clean up his watering hole. He figures Dalton to be the best
of the best, and pays top dollar to recruit him for leading the
cleansing. Dalton decides his ritzy New York bar isn't paying him as
much as the Midwesterner and heads out thataway. The plot doesn't
evolve much from there, but basically entails Jackie Treehorn (Ben
Gazzara) and his crime organization terrorizing the small town. It's a
good thing that Swayze has tuned up his butt kickin' proficiency,
cause the good old boys don't go down so easy. Swayze was
the teen hunk romantic pulp machine for a few years in the mid
80's and the very early 90's. If he wasn't dirty dancin' or fighting
the commies, he was making us all weep for Demi Moore. While not a
master thespian, he can read bad dialogue with the best of them and
boy, can he dance! I suppose it was it is only a natural progression
to move from the mambo to martial arts, as he appears fairly natural
here with all the action. Meanwhile Elliot, perpetually trying to get
out of his cowboy typecasting, puts in a decent turn. He is a bit more
clumsy with the hand-to-hand, but certainly can come across as a
crusty old tough guy. Other stars here are the love interest (Kelly
Lynch of Charlie's Angels fame), head meany Ben Gazzara (Buffalo '66,
The Big Lebowski), head meany's lead thug Marshall R. Teague (The
Rock, Armageddon), and even a young Keith David has a line. And as
much as I don't miss the "real band performing" movie shtick
that was so popular in the 80's (witness Madonna in Vision Quest),
Jeff Healy puts on a great show. I suppose it's all novelty, but Healy
and his band play every night at the Double Deuces, and it works quite
well.
Now, I've forgotten to mention a few key ingredients to
any mildly successful 80s flick: Boobs, greased pecs and muscled
buttocks. I'd venture a wager that Road House contains more flesh then
any 80's horror flick. It also includes two somewhat racy sex scenes
and much more Swayze ass then I care to see (not to mention some Sam
Elliot pubes! BaJesus!). Manfare aside, Road House is a fairly
entertaining romp that is priceless 80s nostalgia. 
Video:
How Does The Disc Look?
MGM presents Road House in a new
2.35:1 anamorphic transfer. This film is fourteen years old but only
partly looks its age. Colors are well saturated with just the
slightest of bleeding. Fleshtones are almost perfect with only outdoor
scenes washing them out a tiny bit. There isn't any noise apparent and
edge enhancement is hardly intrusive. Blacks are ordinary, but never
become too murky nor too deep. The level of detail is above average,
with most scenes including a very film-like veneer. The source
material seems to have been kept in great shape as specks of dirt,
nicks or scratches are rarely noticeable. The overall image tends to
be on the soft side, but on the whole this disc looks good. There is
also a hacked full screen version included on the flip side of the
disc.
Audio: How Does The Disc Sound?
The only
audio option is an English Dolby 2.0 surround track recorded at 192
kbps. Now, this film sure sounds like a flick from the 80's. With nary
a lick of score, the soft rock music is constantly pumping. This
pumpage is also the most notable use of the surround channel. Ambient
noises can faintly be heard and hardly qualify as rear presence. The
front soundstage is well balanced, with dialogue firmly placed in the
center channel. Not too many exciting pans or effects, although a
helicopter scene expends a little noteworthy effort. As with the
picture, the audio isn't quite as crisp as modern releases, but it
will do just fine. 
There are also English, French, Spanish and
Portuguese subtitles included, along with English Closed Captions.
Supplements: What Goodies Are There?
The only extra here
is the theatrical trailer, presented in 1.85:1 anamorphic and mono.
This is one of those trailers where half of what's in it was left
completely out of the finished film.
DVD-ROM Exclusives:
What do you get when you pop the disc in your PC?
No ROM
extras have been included.
Parting Thoughts
For
a moderately old film, Road House looks and sounds rather good. With
simple stunts and a simpler story, I'm not so sure this is a film for
modern audiences used to the action packed-ness of XXX, but it should
entertain those who remember the days before Hollywood-financed Wire-
Fu. The disc itself is more than rental worthy, but for fans looking
for a special edition, this is probably all you're ever gonna get. But
at 14.95 it's tough to beat.
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