Belcourt Midnight Movie: Roadhouse

“Pain don’t hurt,” declares tough guy Dalton (Patrick Swayze) in a typically memorable—and forehead-slappingly dumb—line from director Rowdy Herrington’s beloved 1989 B movie. The plot’s complexities, which can be summed up as “Patrick Swayze beats the hell outta everyone,” center on ultra-violent Missouri nightclub The Double Deuce. The bar’s owner hires Dalton for his skills as a “cooler,” an expert in defusing violent conflicts. While in town, Dalton is menaced by crime boss Brad Wesley (Ben Gazzara), who rules the town with an iron fist. Dalton’s unexpected challenges include defeating Wesley’s goons and wooing a woman doctor named Doc (Kelly Lynch, who appears to be wearing a body coat of fingernail polish). Along the way, he treats bar patrons to such words of wisdom as “In a fight, nobody wins” and “It’s my way [dramatic pause]…or the highway.” In a review, Roger Ebert asked, “Was it intended as a parody? I have no idea, but I laughed more during this movie than during any of the so-called comedies I saw during the same week.”
Sat., Nov. 21, midnight; Sun., Nov. 22, midnight, 2009