7.2 | / 10 |
Users | 4.1 | |
Reviewer | 3.5 | |
Overall | 3.7 |
A cool-headed bouncer (with an NYU philosphy degree and a gift for martial arts) is hired to calm an extra-rowdy midwestern tavern. Along the way he falls in love with a beautiful doctor, and runs up against the local kingpin.
Starring: Patrick Swayze, Kelly Lynch, Sam Elliott, Ben Gazzara, Marshall R. TeagueCrime | 100% |
Thriller | 31% |
Drama | Insignificant |
Romance | Insignificant |
Action | Insignificant |
Video codec: MPEG-2
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 2.34:1
Original aspect ratio: 2.39:1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1
English: Dolby Digital 2.0
French: Dolby Digital 2.0
Spanish: Dolby Digital 2.0
English, Spanish, Cantonese, Korean
25GB Blu-ray Disc
Two-disc set (1 BD, 1 DVD)
DVD copy
Region A (locked)
Movie | 4.0 | |
Video | 3.0 | |
Audio | 4.0 | |
Extras | 1.0 | |
Overall | 3.5 |
I find it somewhat ironic that Road House was directed by a man named Rowdy Harrington. If I had to pick one word to describe the film, Rowdy would probably fit the bill nicely. I’m not sure what it was about the 1980’s, but I’d say that was the decade of the “guy movie”, with countless action films specifically released for the adrenaline-junkies in all of us. From Steven Seagal to Chuck Norris, or Arnold Swarzeneggar to Sylvester Stallone, the 80’s invited the meteoric rise of the mindless action hero and we soaked up every blood-drenched minute of it.
Road House offered Patrick Swayze an opportunity to hang up his dancing shoes after the completion of Dirty Dancing (I’m sorry for even mentioning that film in a review of Road House) and return to his trademark role as a tough guy. In many ways, Road House played to Swayze’s strengths, with fight scenes that require more brawling and less martial arts. Watching the film, it’s abundantly clear he couldn’t hold his own next to the great Chuck Norris, but when it comes to throwing punches or slamming people through tables, Swayze is clearly the man for the job. Going into this viewing, I was primarily curious how the film would hold up after all these years, since I’ve seen a number of films in recent years that I loved two decades ago, but have lost their luster as I grow older. Fortunately, my worries soon abated as I found myself caught up in the campy entertainment before my eyes. Road House may not be a timeless classic, but it will retain enough charm to maintain a strong cult status for years to come.
The thankless job of a bouncer...
Presented in 1080p utilizing the MPEG-2 codec (at an average bitrate of 18Mbps), Road House doesn't offer the revelatory visual experience I was hoping for. Considering the film is celebrating its twentieth anniversary this year, I wasn't anticipating a knockout transfer, but I did expect a higher level of consistency throughout the production. Detail wavers the most, with some shots looking spectacular and others appearing hazy or soft. The highly detailed scenes make the ugly ones stand out in comparison, creating a certain level of distraction from the film itself. I recently reviewed another MPEG-2 transfer from MGM (Out of Time), which displayed the same inconsistency in the rendering of detail, which raises questions regarding deficiencies in the transfer versus the source material. I still have a couple more MPEG-2 titles from MGM to review in the next few days, so keep your eyes open for those reviews to see if the trend continues. From a color standpoint, I found the hues a little on the dull side, with a heavy push toward browns and yellows. The only real break from the lack of vivid colors, comes during the interior bar scenes, where the the crimson shirts worn by the bar staff offer a nice level of pop. Black levels aren't as deep as we've seen in reference transfers, but still offer sufficient depth to allow contrast levels to shine. The print itself is starting to show a little wear, with the occasional dust speck or scratch showing through, but on the whole the transfer looks cleaner than I expected. Unfortunately, I was left with a general feeling that DNR was applied throughout the film. Grain less visible than I was expecting, and fine textures on clothing or faces show a trademark lack of visual clarity. Additionally, I noticed two scenes where a small degree of edge-enhancement was applied, with light halos appearing around character outlines. It won't be distracting or noticeable to most viewers, but those who are particularly sensitive to these issues should be forewarned.
The primary audio offering on the disc is an English DTS-HD MA 5.1 track, that offers a substantial improvement over any prior release of the film. Above all, I was impressed with the dynamic use of surrounds to create spatial separation in the effects. You still can't improve the cheesy sound of the effects themselves (like turning hamburger into steak), but it's still nice to experience 80's action with a modern upgrade. Some of the highlights in the audio track include bar-clearing brawls, a car exploding in mid-air, and the explosion of the auto parts store. Speaking of explosions, the LFE channel contains adequate material to give your subwoofer an occasional workout, but it still doesn't demonstrate the bombastic response we've grown accustomed to in recent action masterpieces. If I had to pinpoint one deficiency in the overall track, it would be the slightly muffled dialogue. Compared to the clarity of the effects and music, the dialogue had a dated sound that appeared to reflect a lack of ideal recording conditions in the original track. It certainly won't ruin the experience, but audio purists might be a little disappointed in that aspect of the track. Overall, Road House offers an impressive step up in quality through the transition to a lossless surround track, but you should still downgrade your expectations to meet the limitations of the dated sound.
Road House is one of several recent Blu-ray releases from MGM that contain a copy of the DVD release in addition to the Blu-ray. This appears to be a strategic move to provide special features without actually adding them to the Blu-ray disc itself. In general, I wouldn't consider this practice ideal (especially for anyone with an interest in director's commentaries) but it may partially account for the reasonable retail price of this Blu-ray release.
Having said that, I'm reviewing a single-disc rental copy of the Road House Blu-ray, so I'm not able to comment on the DVD special features included within the retail package. The only special feature included on the Blu-ray disc is a collection of four high-definition trailers (Road House, Red Dawn, Ronin and Hoosiers).
Road House deserves more credit than it has received over the years. Taken as a whole, it's a thoroughly entertaining experience that allows the viewer to escape into a simpler time when a good action film contained clearly defined heroes or villains, and didn't require the constant use of choppy editing or wires to create a good fight. I wish the technical presentation had done the film justice, since it would be easier to offer a wholehearted recommendation of the entire package. As it stands, I'd recommend a purchase to anyone that loves the film, but only recommend a rental to the uninitiated.
DVD Packaging
1989
1989
1989
1989
1989
Collector's Edition
1989
1989
1989
Vinegar Syndrome Ultra
1989
Standard Edition
1989
2017
2015
1995
2K Restoration
1979
2007
Extreme Cut
2009
2011
1986
2013
1989
1987
2010
2013
2014
2018
1990
Collector's Edition
1986
1987
1989
1996