Road House (1989) 4K UHD Review

5 star glorious restoration of a kick ass eighties classic.

Directed by Rowdy Herrington (Gladiator, Striking Distance), this delightfully violent and sleazy action thriller film was first released in 1989, with a screenplay from R. Lance Hill (Out For Justice) and Hilary Henkin (Wag the Dog).

It is available to own in the UK on Limited Edition 4K UHD from 2nd June 2025, courtesy of Arrow Video.

“I thought you’d be bigger.”

Dalton (Patrick Swayze – Point Break, Red Dawn, Donnie Darko) is a professional ‘cooler’, a.k.a. chief bouncer in a bar in New York. Word of his talents has spread and one night he is head hunted by Frank Tilghman (Kevin Tighe – Emergency!, I Am I), a bar owner looking for someone to clean up his business. He buys an old clunker, packs up a few belongings and heads off to Jasper, Missouri, to start his new job. He rents a barn apartment at the home of Emmett (Sunshine Parker – Tremors, Love At Large) and goes to look at his new place of employment, The Double Deuce.

Straight away, he can see this will be a challenge, the staff are dealing drugs, the clientele leave a lot to be desired and the bartender is skimming money from the till. On the plus side, his friend Cody (Jeff Healey) is the singer in the resident band. He gets to work, but when he fires bartender Pat (John Doe – Pure Country) he draws the attention of his Uncle Brad Wesley (Ben Gazzara – The Big Lebowski), a local crime boss who is holding the town to ransom.

What started out as a club cleanup starts to escalate and things are made worse when he meets the very attractive Dr. Elizabeth Clay (Kelly Lynch – Drugstore Cowboy), further annoying the local henchmen. His friend and mentor Wade (Sam Elliott – A Star Is Born, Hulk) shows up to help, can they kick this town into shape together?

“All you have to do is follow three simple rules. One, never underestimate your opponent. Expect the unexpected. Two, take it outside. Never start anything inside the bar unless it’s absolutely necessary. And three, be nice.

Road House is a brilliant film, slated upon its release for being too sleazy and violent, the very things which make it so much fun to watch. There’s lots of big hair and questionable outfits and if you could bottle the eighties, it would be this film. The story is good, the acting is good and the action is none stop.

Patrick Swayze was at the height of his heart throb powers at this point, all the girls wanted a piece of him and all the boys wanted to be him. That was used to full advantage in this film, with shirtless training montages and fight sequences and unmotivated butt shots. Is it just me, or is it hot in here?

There are some epic fight scenes as well as a very entertaining bar brawl and absolutely no furniture was spared during the filming. The film also enjoys a banging soundtrack, with music provided throughout by the fabulous Jeff Healey band.

This is an excellent restoration, the film looks and sounds great. Apart from the smoking and nudity it could have been made yesterday. Accept no imitations, the original and best now looks better than ever. With plenty of extras, this is a great package and well worth adding to your collection.

“That gal’s got entirely too many brains to have an ass like that.”

Road House is available to own now on Limited Edition 4K UHD.

4K ULTRA HD BLU-RAY LIMITED EDITION CONTENTS
• 4K (2160p) Ultra HD Blu-ray presentation in Dolby Vision (HDR10 compatible)
• Original lossless stereo and DTS-HD 5.1 surround audio options
• Optional English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing
• Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Mark Bell
• Double-sided foldout poster featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Mark Bell
• Double Deuce coaster
• Collector’s booklet featuring original production notes

DISC ONE – FEATURE AND EXTRAS (4K ULTRA HD BLU-RAY)

• Audio commentary with director Rowdy Herrington
• Audio commentary with Road House fans Kevin Smith and Scott Mosier
• A Conversation with Director Rowdy Herrington, an interview with the director about the genesis and making of the film
• ‘Pretty Good for a Blind White Boy’: The Music of Road House, a featurette on Michael Kamen’s score and blues musician Jeff Healey’s performance in the film
• Remembering Patrick Swayze, a tribute to Road House’s iconic lead actor
• On the Road House, a featurette where cast and crew members look back on the film’s success
• Patrick Swayze Profile featurette
• Original theatrical trailer
• Image gallery

DISC TWO – EXTRAS (BLU-RAY)

• I Did It My Way, an interview with second unit director and stunt coordinator Charlie Picerni
• Henchman #2, an interview with actor and stuntman Anthony De Longis
• Blonde Ambitions, an interview with actor Laura Lee Kasten
• Fightin’ Man, an interview with actor Roger Hewlett
• Ain’t Nothing Gonna Kill Me but Me, an interview with actor Travis McKenna
• Pain Don’t Hurt: The Stunts of Road House, a featurette on the stunts seen in the film
• What Would Dalton Do?, a featurette where professional bouncers show their appreciation for the film
• Selected interview soundbites
• On the Set, archival behind-the-scenes footage