Summary
- Wesley's death in the original Road House was the result of the town coming together to stop his reign of terror.
- Dalton's relationship with Elizabeth ends with them settling down together in Jasper, signaling a change in his violent lifestyle.
- Road House has deep themes about knowing when to fight, when to show mercy, and how dangerous violence can be, even to its users.
The original Road House presents audiences with tons of fun and action, but its ending also deals with some deep topics and themes. Road House followed Patrick Swayze's Dalton and Sam Elliott's Wade Garrett as they cleaned up the Double Deuce, the rowdiest bar in Jasper, Missouri. It wasn't a very well-received movie, and the recent Road House remake's reviews actually outperformed the original's, but it has become a fan-favorite film in the years since its release. Part of the reason for Road House's enduring legacy is its surprisingly deep and meaningful ending.
There were several changes made from the original 1989 movie for the recent Road House remake, including the shift in Dalton's backstory that made him a UFC fighter. The remake also made some controversial choices with the Road House remake's cast, such as replacing Sam Elliott's Wade Garrett in Road House 2024. Perhaps the biggest change is that the original's ending is significantly different from the ending of the Road House remake, both in its plot and its themes. The original Road House's ending had quite a bit going on, and some of it requires an explanation.
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How Dalton & Jasper's Locals Defeat Wesley In Road House's Ending
Wesley Was Killing The Town, & Only Death Would Stop Him
In the final scenes of Road House, the business owners Wesley had been tyrannizing for the entire film banded together and shot him dead. The main reason that was possible was because of Dalton's rampage, as he wiped out all of Wesley's hired guns, clearing the way to the man himself. On a more thematic level, the locals killed Wesley because he was killing Jasper. He literally destroyed both Red and Stroudenmire's businesses, and his racketeering was destroying everyone else in town. In keeping with Jimmy's death, Wesley was never going to stop harassing the town on his own, so the locals stopped him themselves.
What Happens To The Double Deuce
Tilghman Finally Gets To See The Bar Improved & Thriving
With Wesley gone, his interference and racketeering left with him. and the businesses in Jasper could flourish again. Part of the reason the Double Deuce had been struggling so much was because of Wesley's influence, as he controlled the bar's liquor distributors and took 10% of its revenue as protection money. After Wesley died and his thugs stopped trashing the bar, the Double Deuce became nice, clean, and profitable. It was what Tilghman wanted from the beginning when he hired Dalton, and the Double Deuce was left on a positive note.
Why Dalton Ripped Jimmy's Throat Out In Road House's Ending
His Lethal Move Really Was Self-Defense
In one of Road House's climactic fights, Dalton ripped Jimmy Reno's throat out, killing him. There were a couple of reasons he chose such a violent method of execution, and why he felt the need to kill Jimmy at all. The main reason Dalton killed Jimmy was because he was angry, both at Wade's murder and at Jimmy for setting fire to Emmet's house. In the heat of the fight, his rage boiled up, and Jimmy paid for it with his life. While Dalton did let go and give into his more animalistic urges, Road House also heavily implies that he wasn't completely in the wrong.
Earlier in the movie, Wesley made reference to the fact that Dalton had killed a different man with the same method, but that it was ruled self-defense. Dalton's fight with Jimmy was also self-defense, as Jimmy would have killed Dalton if he hadn't been stopped. Dalton had tried to take him out several times, attacking his legs and kicking away his gun, but Jimmy kept going. Dalton was also close to exhaustion, as he could barely stand after the fight, so if it had gone on any longer, Jimmy would have won. The only way for Dalton to survive was by killing Jimmy.
Dalton & Elizabeth's Relationship Fate Explained
He's Done Running, & They Settle Down Together
Dalton and Elizabeth had a fiery relationship throughout the movie, and they luckily got to end up together by its ending. One of the final shots before Road House's credits was of Dalton and Elizabeth skinny dipping together in the lake outside of Emmet's house. That implied that Dalton was going to stay in Jasper to be with Elizabeth, and that his days of running from town to town and from bar to bar were over. The couple had a happy relationship ahead of them, and Dalton and Elizabeth were more than ready to settle down with each other to enjoy it.
Why Dalton & The Locals Weren't Arrested For Killing Wesley & His Goons In Road House
It's One Of The Movie's Biggest Plot Holes
When the local business owners came to Wesley's mansion to kill him, they drew the attention of the police, though no one ends up getting arrested for their blatant murder. Road House never really explains how exactly they all avoided prison, a plot hole that the Road House remake fixed. While that is a glaring oversight in the movie's logic, Road House was more concerned with presenting a fun movie experience, and the lack of repercussions adds humor to the ending.
There was some explanation as to why none of them had any legal trouble for killing Wesley, though it was rather flimsy. As explained earlier in the movie, Wesley had the police and sheriff "in his pocket." Since he was dead, Wesley couldn't pay their bribes anymore, so the already corrupt police had no more incentive to put much effort into investigating his killing. The business owners also hid all the shotguns they used, so the only evidence the police had available was Tinker as a witness. Since Tinker gave his humorous "Polar bear fell on me," line, there wasn't anything they could use for an arrest.
The Real Meaning Of Road House 1989 Explained
It's A Story About Knowing When To Fight & When To Show Mercy
Road House is a very violent movie, and its main message is also concerned with the nature of violence. The point of Road House is that, sometimes, being a good person means standing up for what's right, even if it has to be fought for. Jasper only started to recover from Wesley's reign of terror because Dalton stayed to fight him, despite Wade's pleas to get him to leave. Wesley wouldn't have stopped without being killed, either, so Dalton's and the business owners' use of violence was seemingly justified.
Despite being known as mindless, violent fun, the ending of Road House actually presents quite a few poignant lessons about the nature of violence.
The message of Road House is a double-edged sword, though. Dalton nearly lost everyone he cared about - Wade, Elizabeth, Red, and Emmet - because he couldn't give up the fight. Road House shows that knowing when to stop fighting is just as important as knowing when it's necessary. Elizabeth especially drives home this point, as she nearly left Dalton after he gave into his violent instincts and killed Jimmy. She only came back to him after he showed mercy to Wesley and stopped himself before ripping his throat out too.
While Road House's big message is that it's important to know when to fight and when to show mercy, there's also an underlying theme about Dalton's character. Dalton's descent into violence revealed a hidden message in Road House: that the main thing separating humans from animals is the ability to show mercy. The final scenes of the movie showed Dalton giving into his violent nature and becoming more feral and animalistic, like when he ripped out Jimmy's throat, and that descent was reinforced by a few choices in the film.
Dalton's final showdown with Wesley took place in his trophy room, surrounded by taxidermy animals. Wesley took the role of the hunter, as he used both a gun and a spear, while Dalton played a predator animal, as he ambushed Wesley and used only his fists. Even Dalton's signature move, the throat rip, resembled an animal's claw. As soon as he decided to spare Wesley, Dalton stood upright and began looking and acting like a human again. He was almost on the edge of becoming a rage-fueled animal, but his mercy brought him back.
Despite being known as mindless, violent fun, the ending of Road House actually presents quite a few poignant lessons about the nature of violence. Road House showed that sometimes violence can be used to good ends, but it should be used carefully, given how thin the line between human and animal really is, and how violence can make it even thinner. While Road House certainly is a fun, action-packed movie first and foremost, the true meaning of the ending recontextualizes the whole story.
Road House
R
Action
Thriller
With a story and screenplay by David Lee Henry and direction from Rowdy Herrington, Road House is a 1989 Action release starring Patrick Swayze in the lead role. Swayze steps into the shoes of James Dalton, a bouncer that is hired by a club owner to provide security for the establishment.
- Director
- Rowdy Herrington
- Release Date
- May 19, 1989
- Cast
- Patrick swayze , Kelly Lynch , Sam Elliott , Ben Gazzara , Marshall R. Teague , Julie Michaels , Red West , Sunshine Parker
- Budget
- $17 million