Roadhouse
Literature Review
In older reviews, professional critics believed that the plot and the acting in the movie were simply unbearable. The biggest issue is that the ailing plot line, established early on and never fully developed, is just too campy and lackluster. Professional critics went on to state that Road House suffered largely for its bad acting, which is considered juvenile and not worthy of cinema. In an article published by Caryn James (1989) the author focuses largely on the plot of the movie as his target. He went on to state that the star of Road House, Patrick Swayze, was given the most laughable role since that of Tom Cruise in the movie Cocktail.
The acting within a film conveys both the message of the film and feeling, which is of the utmost importance to any audience. If the actors fail in their roles the audience often leaves confused and sorely disappointed. While there have been iconic roles within many films that have stood out before and after Road House, the film will long be remembered more for its visuals than the dialogue between the main characters. Many critics openly denounced Road House when it first came out in 1989. It’s severely misdirected acting and the simplistic plot line made it almost painful to watch at certain moments. Such reviews are often enough to kill a film’s rise to mediocrity, let alone stardom, and Road House is no exception.
Another article written by Gene Siskel (1989) goes on to state that the plot and the acting are quite laughable. Siskel even likened the plot line and dialogue to that of cartoons in its simple and unimaginative manner. In the movies of decades past, well before Road House, the plot was far more acceptable when kept simple. The dialogue, while still important, was not as damning an accusation when it fell short. In today’s cinema however and that of 1989 dialogue and plot are the vessels that drive the movie and make it enjoyable for the audience. If those two key ingredients are missing then the result is a very confusing and misunderstood film.
Modern day films tend to rely more on shock value and sensationalism to produce their revenue. Reviews for such films often focus less on plot and acting than on violence, nudity, and action. This likely would have been the era where Road House would have found it’s best fit, as it was geared for a time when acting and plot have all but taken a backseat to the effects and action produced within a film. Violence and nudity especially draw crowds, as disaster and sex have always done throughout history. Though critics have for the most part held fast to their own opinions of plot lines and overall acting, the public has shown a well-defined yearning for the more controversial aspects of a film rather than the more important and structural points that are
still important.
Such elements have done a great job in defining a much more popular and stereotypical image of masculinity and have also remained much the same since Road House was released. Another article by Tom Tunney (2015) lends another view to the film by showing appreciation for the sensuality and pop culture that is featured. Tunney likens Road House to a western-style production minus the boots and firearms. What this shows is that even professional critics can disagree at times and that objectivity is not as prevalent in the critiquing of film.
Several reviews given serve to show how masculinity in film has evolved over the past few decades. Where once male nudity, an abundance of sex and violence were edgy but not considered too risqué, movies like Road House have paved the way to making such elements the norm. Another critic, David Medsker (2014), is in agreement with Tunney in finding the appeal in a movie such as Roadhouse. Yet where Medsker differs from Tunney is that he takes another direction and suggest an underlying homosexual theme to the movies. Instead of focusing upon the obvious elements such as the nudity, fights, and suspect Zen philosophy Medsker instead seeks to shine a spotlight on a homosexual bent to the story. While such a claim is slightly unfounded it is not discounted and offers yet another view into the nature of the film.
Those who review film but do not share the same status as professional critics also agree that Road House was a poorly executed film, but makes up for the lack of plot with action and nudity. In truth Road House has become a mainstay in American culture as a film that has grown progressively more popular with time. Despite the dubious claim concerning the idea of homosexuality and the ever present issue of male nudity in film, Road House remains as a film that helped to stretch the boundaries of what was allowed in film. Despite overwhelming negative reviews from seasoned and well-respected critics, the general view of the film was that
it was redeemed by its use of action and nudity.
Despite the differences of opinion between critics, all of them agreed on some level that the film was entertaining despite its obvious flaws. Both amateur and professional critics agreed consistently on the validity of various elements throughout the film, especially when it came to masculinity. In its initial reviews critics were merciless when it came to their opinions. As time went on however and opinions about the noted subject matter such as masculinity changed the reviews became far more accepting and less judgmental. To date the film is quite popular and seen as a mainstay of American culture.
Film Review
Patrick Swayze plays Dalton (1989), an individual that is quiet, calm, and possessed of a very Zen-type personality. Touted as a “cooler”, he is the man to whom club owners flock when a bar’s image is need of cleaning. His part is the quiet “tough guy” that sweeps in to solve the problem with maximum force if necessary and clever witticisms when it is not. It is quickly made clear that he is largely in control of his own schedule and expects to be treated as the professional that he is.
Drawn to a bar known as the Double Deuce in Missouri, Dalton eventually discovers the real reason his new employer is having such trouble with his establishment. Swiftly cleaning house of thieves, drug dealers, and general lowlifes Dalton soon makes enemies within the town, not the least of which is played by Ben Gazzara, who plays eccentric and very possessive millionaire Brad Wesley. It is quickly deduced that Wesley owns and runs the town the way he sees fit, which brings him into direct conflict with Dalton and his own nature, which is to help those in need.
Despite every best effort put forth, Wesley is unable to dislodge Dalton from the town.
Sending his own hired thugs to skirmish with Dalton again and again proves to be futile. Wesley even offers Dalton a job, which Dalton flatly refuses. It is not long after this that Wesley takes the initiative and begins to target those Dalton has come to care for, including an old friend named Wade Garrett, played by Sam Elliot. After Garrett’s death Dalton goes after Wesley, which ends predictably in the death of Wesley and a fair number of his hired goons.
The plot of this film is woefully underdeveloped for the promise it shows and tends to leave more questions than answers. One of the initial scenes is that of Dalton using his wits to deescalate a potentially violent situation when he tricks an individual into leaving the bar under the pretense of engaging in a fight. Among Dalton’s established rules is that no fighting must go on inside the bar, which is ironic as such situations are what he is paid to handle. At the conclusion of the first fight, which in truth is a minor altercation, Dalton shows his calm nature by absconding to a back office to stitch up a wound caused by the same man he’d ejected from the bar with an inordinate amount of calm and poise.
The character of Dalton is such that he takes nothing personally until pushed too far, worries about very little until matters become serious, and never acts until there is no other choice. He is the calm point in the film around which everything else revolves. Despite this obvious character the plot that he was meant to push forward didn’t come until far later in the film when Wesley came into the picture. Until then the main draw for Road House was the nudity and the action.
At this point it becomes clear that Dalton and Wesley are going to clash thanks to their different attitudes and beliefs. Unfortunately the plot still did not develop full as it left far too many questions as to why law enforcement, which became far more pronounced in the final few minutes, was absent for so long. Throughout the film it becomes clear that the violence and
lackadaisical love story between Dalton and Dr. Elizabeth Clay, played by Kelly Lynch, are
expected to fill in for the lack of any plausible plot points.
While the nudity and violence within the movie is entertaining, it still did not completely overshadow the poor acting and ill-timed romance. Despite the excitement and obviously welcome show of female nudity during the bar scenes it was often the exaggeration of being intoxicated that made the scenes appear both fake and detached from any type of emotion. Violence is almost always entertaining and was so in this film, but the choreography in Roadhouse made it seem far too artificial. Also, the sense of realism is absent in several instances.
During a scene in which Dalton sprints to catch up with a thug making a getaway on a motorcycle he makes an impossible jump and then shows no sign of damage as a result of the collision. Detachment from reality is another part of cinema that can affect any film. Being super strong and almost invulnerable is quite fine when the character is written in as such, but in a film such as Road House realism is expected to make more than a token appearance. Another such scene that involved a severe lack of realism comes at the end of the movie when Dalton faces off with Wesley.
As Wesley lines up a shot that will end Dalton he is in turn almost cut in half by a shotgun blast that by all rights should have catapulted him across the room. Instead he is shot multiple times and keeps his footing until he finally falls down, dead. After the first shot Wesley should have been thrown into the nearest wall, though somehow he endured three point-blank blasts from three different directions. In short the lack of realism in the film, along with the poor acting, make Road House a hard movie to watch without criticism. At the very least there is enough action to warrant fast-forwarding to avoid the rest of the movie.
Analysis
This movie has the typical elements that make men flock to the ticket counter. Fighting, naked women, and explosive situations involving fire and alcohol are great draws for men who wish to see a good action flick. The drunken displays of masculinity coupled with the need to impress women is a common thread that many people find alluring no matter the plot or lack of decent acting. Attracting viewers using visual effects is easy, but good films need to rely on a masterful use of such elements to actually develop their plot.
Director Rowdy Herrington however focuses mainly on the violence and nudity in order to capture and keep the attention of the audience. Belonging to the action thriller genre, Road House is largely about a cooler named Dalton who is hired to clean up a dive joint by the name of the Double Deuce. While some reviews praised the film for its use of captivating fighting scenes, other critics berated it for the same elements. The view of masculinity used in the film is in a sense used to redefine and even change the stereotype that is expected and has been used to define men over the past decade.
The very character and form of Dalton illustrates that stereotype in an attempt to show that men are capable of being both masculine and sensitive. His nude scenes show a vulnerability that, coupled with his masculinity, seem to define the modern man. While it has little to do with the movie in general, the nudity in Road House remains consistent in order to take away from the lackluster acting and threadbare plot. While his masculinity, when challenged, serves to make him more appealing to women, it is also a draw for men as it reaffirms the already accepted cultural norm of being the protector who is more desirable to women through sheer “manliness”.
The fact that masculinity is strongly related to violence in the film is pushed throughout,
becoming a well-anticipated salute to heroism as Dalton fights against both corruption and injustice. In fact it is fair to say that the plot in the movie is based largely around, on, and is dependent upon the violence inherent within its title. The desire to see the unjust punished and the rowdy, raucous fights that are associated with such establishments as are seen in the film become the entire reason for watching such movies as Road House. The viewer wishes to see a show, and in doing so seeks out the most violent and eye-catching image possible.
Masculinity in film is widely accepted by men and women alike, and can create a visually striking image that can help to better define the role of protector and helpless woman for many viewers. The violence in Road House is almost exactly that, painting a vivid picture of the time-honored roles of villain, hero, and maiden in distress that has captured the attention of so many audiences. In watching such films both men and women become emotionally and in some cases physically aroused, the feelings they experience enhancing their lives for the time it takes the film to run from start to finish. Men are made to feel rugged, manly, and in every capable of being as tough as the main character, while women are aroused by the character of Dalton no doubt, but also in the confidence of their men and the very likely probability that they will be protected and “saved” when in need.
Road House is one among many films that has allowed its audience to visualize how masculinity can be portrayed in different ways. It has also endured the test of time in that it has become more popular in the years after its release, becoming an iconic film that many can easily recall and enjoy again and again. For its sheer masculinity, violence, and gratuitous sexuality, Road House is a film that would have been better off being released far later than it was. The only drawback is that the iconic character that made the film what it was would not have survived to become the man that so many remember.
Works Cited
James, Caryn. “Review/Film: One Against the Villains, in ‘Roadhouse’.” The New York Times.
19 May 1989. Web. 28 May 2016.
Medsker, David. “Road House.” Bullz-Eye. 2014. Web. 28 May 2016.
Road House. Dir. Rowdy Herrington. Perf. Patrick Swayze, Ben Gazzara, Sam Elliot, and Kelly
Lynch. United Artists. 1989. Film.
Siskel, Gene. “Swayze a Mindless Pin-up In Violent ‘Roadhouse’.” Chicago Tribune. 19 May
1989. Web. 28 May 2016.
Tunney, Tom. “Road House Review.” Empire. 10 Oct.2015. Web. 28 May 2016.
