Road House is an endless string of cliches. Characters are blatant and contrived tropes, so their motivations and consequences are hollow. The generic and convoluted plot isn't worth following. Its dialogue is obvious and bland. Consequently, the writing begs to be ignored. Intentional cheese requires personality or wit to entertain, and those missing ingredients swiftly expose this transparent skeleton of a script. Meanwhile, its silly acting can be mildly amusing, stilted, aloof, or self-conscious. The physicality works yet that narrow competence can't support a film on its own. Essentially, Road House bluntly forces a flimsy story in service of repetitive combat.
Technically, Road House is clumsy. Its direction is stale, confused, choreographed, cartoonish, and purposeless. The cinematography becomes proactive during fight scenes but is otherwise basic. Its editing is meandering, choppy, bloated, and momentum-less. The sound adds smash cuts, action, and subjectivity. Its music uses bluesy bar songs, which is fitting yet rarely elevating. The production design has a sense of location (the Florida Keys) and brief UFC staging. Its casting surrounds Gyllenhaal with non-actors and weak fame. The effects undermine solid stunts with cheap and excessive CGI. Ultimately, Road House has its moments, but those are few and far between.
Writing: 2/10
Direction: 4/10
Cinematography: 6/10
Acting: 4/10
Editing: 3/10
Sound: 7/10
Score/Soundtrack: 6/10
Production Design: 6/10
Casting: 7/10
Effects: 6/10
Overall Score: 5.1/10
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