Roadhouse [VHS]

Road House is one of those movies that helped usher out the era of action films that had feasible plot lines (and also helped reverse the direction of Patrick Swayze's career arc). Swayze stars as Dalton: a handsome, existential bouncer who owns both a degree in philosophy and a Mercedes and that's perhaps the most believable aspect of the whole movie. Dalton runs afoul of Wesley (Ben Gazzara), the meanest SOB round these parts, by taking up with his former girlfriend, Doc (Kelly Lynch)--the only woman in town with an IQ approaching double digits, even if she had unfathomably hooked up with such a lowlife. Swayze had complained about being typecast as beefcake when this was made, but that didn't stop him from revealing as much skin as possible. It's so insulting to its audience that it's nice to be able to turn the tables and laugh at the filmmakers.--David Kronke, Amazon.com