Road House / Road House 2: Last Call

For some reason, action flicks using the bouncer as a complicated figure looking for sweet revenge via ass kicking and throat ripping never caught on the way cops or secret agents did. Strange, considering how awesome a film Road House was back in 1989, and still is today — if you strip it of its explicit seriousness and reduce it down to an absurd piece of testosterone-crammed fluff. Patrick "Swayzedog” Swayze stars as James Dalton, a drifting bouncer who takes a job at a roadhouse called the Double Deuce in Missouri where he maintains control by kicking some ass and ripping out some throats. There’s a ruthless villain (Ben Gazzara) and a sexy love interest (Kelly Lynch) but that’s not important. What is important is the audio commentary by director Kevin Smith and his producer Scott Mosier, which is hands down the most entertaining one of its kind you’ll ever hear. Given the job thanks to their extensive knowledge and appreciation of the film, the pair spends the film’s entirety examining the complexities of Dalton, the man and the warrior, as well as uncovering fascinating trivia, questioning the plausibility of certain moments, praising Jeff Healey and repeatedly recognising the film’s blatant homoeroticism. Perhaps the finest contribution is how they assign the "Chuck Norris Facts” to Dalton without ever exhausting the shtick, revealing that "Dalton once ate a whole cake before his friends told him there was a stripper in it,” "the chief export of Dalton is pain” and "when Dalton has sex with a man it’s not because he’s gay it’s because he’s run out of women.” According to the duo, Road House is "infinitely watchable” and it’s tough to disagree with their claim, especially after experiencing their commentary. Unfortunately, the studio felt the need to blemish the film’s legacy with Road House 2, which merely drags Dalton’s reputation through the mud with a tale that puts his son (Jonathan Schaech) in a similar bouncing role. Despite some fantastic overacting on the part of Jake Busey and some appallingly sidesplitting action scenes in slow motion, it’s best to just ignore its existence and relive the Smith and Mosier commentary again and again. Plus: "What Would Dalton Do?” featurette, trivia track, Herrington commentary. (MGM/Sony)