A $1 Billion Franchise Proves How Badly The Original Road House Wasted Its Premise

The original 1989 Road House remains enduringly popular thanks to its memorable dialogue, stylized fight sequences, and quirky characters, yet one modern action franchise proves that the movie still wasted one of the strongest aspects of its premise. In some ways, Road House is a fairly typical action flick. Patrick Swayze plays a riff on the celebrated “Man with No Name” trope, popularized by genre classics like Yojimbo and A Fistful of Dollars, saving a community from the attention of corrupt villains. However, while the movie played with aspects of convention, a subsequent series shows that its premise could have been pushed.

Aside from Patrick Swayze’s iconic delivery of lines like “pain don’t hurt”, the most memorable thing about Road House is its strange and sometimes surreal setup. The film appears to be set in a parallel world where, Mad Max-like, traditional law and order has totally collapsed and business people must turn to an elite group of bouncers to protect their interests. Characters like Dalton and Wade Garrett are celebrities, recognized wherever they go. It’s this quirk that invites parallels between Road House and another action franchise, proving that the movie wasted what could have been a creatively rich setting.

Road House Could Have Been The Original John Wick

Although their styles and stories seem completely different, the connections between John Wick and Road House are impossible to ignore. Just as bouncers like Sam Elliott’s Wade Garrett and Dalton are infamous in their industry – commanding way more attention than would normally be expected of people in their profession – John Wick imagines a world dominated by an underground cabal of assassins, where everyone seems to know everyone and law enforcement seems totally absent. After the success of Wick, it’s easy to see how Road House could have better used its “legendary bouncer” premise to build an entire world.

Had Road House really committed to the idea that the movie’s setting is populated by dozens of notorious bouncers, traveling the country and helping needy businessmen and women, the film could have been elevated beyond the pulpy action it is known for. Just as John Wick was improved by elements like the Continental and the rules under the High Table, Road House could have explained more about why Garrett and Dalton are so notorious and whether there are more like them constituting an elite bouncers’ guild. It may be a bold concept, but John Wick proves that such detailed world-building can be highly lucrative.

Dalton And Wade Garrett’s Backstories Needed Way More Explanation

Expanding Road House‘s strange bouncer premise would not only have been a great decision for the franchise’s future, but it would have also fixed a major flaw within the first movie. While Dalton and Wade Garrett’s obvious pedigree and reputation help give both characters some mystique, it is also extremely distracting. Especially regarding Elliot’s Garrett, the character’s fame begs several immediate questions, chief among which is why staff in a rural Missouri bar would instantly recognize a bouncer who previously worked with Dalton in New York.

The characters themselves also tease a history that, while intriguing, draws attention away from Road House‘s main story. For instance, the circumstances around Dalton’s experience in Memphis (where he allegedly killed a man in self-defense) are never fully explained, much like the rest of Garrett and Dalton’s time together. If Road House had been fully committed to creating a world where bouncers and their trade form a secret society like the assassins John Wick, these issues could have been better addressed – just as John Wick’s own past and criminal relationships help drive the franchise’s overarching story.

John Wick Proves How Complex Action Premises Can Work

As well as its imaginative and expertly shot action sequences, the biggest success of John Wick is in creating a believable world where assassins operate outside of the view of polite society. While many movies attempt to create their own worlds, John Wick‘s meticulously thought-out rules and traditions help give the complex premise some gravitas that takes it beyond simple fantasy. Although the story is, on its face, ridiculous, the movies’ total commitment to immersing the viewer in the world of the High Table makes what should be a laughable idea somehow completely believable.

Much as a description of what happens in John Wick seems ludicrous to anyone unfamiliar with the films, Road House‘s concept of a philosophizing bouncer fighting baddies with the help of his legendary old mentor seems equally implausible. Yet John Wick‘s critical acclaim and financial success proves that even the most outlandish premises can work when combined with a clear vision and commitment to world-building. With John Wick as a highly successful blueprint, it’s easy to see how Road House could have taken its main conceit and become the original elevated action series.

Road House’s Sequel And Reboot Proves Its Premise Could Have Worked

The clearest evidence that Road House‘s strange premise could have been the basis for a major action franchise is that the concept has now been revisited on two separate occasions. Although Road House 2 did not release until 2006 and did not include original star Patrick Swayze, the fact that it was made at all demonstrates that the movie’s main idea of bouncers taking center stage has potential. Despite the movie being neither a commercial success, its existence proves that there is still creative potential to be mined from the original Road House‘s world.

Likewise, the Doug Liman-directed Road House reboot proves that there is something inherently intriguing about turning bouncers into action heroes. The 2024 movie completely abandoned the core Road House idea of bouncers being famous in their own right, turning Dalton into an ex-UFC fighter to explain his status. Nevertheless, its successful release highlights that combining the fighting bouncer premise with an expanded world in the original Road House could have been a potent combination.