The ‘Road House’ Sequel You Didn’t Know Existed

The big picture

• Road House 2: Last Call
  it's a soulless sequel that doesn't live up to the original's legacy.
• Killing off Dalton brings the film down, making it illogical and disappointing.
• The forced action scenes and weak script make it clear that this sequel should never have been made.

In the original House Road, Patrick Swayze's character James Dalton he said, “Pain doesn't hurt.” It seems he never saw it Road House 2: Last Call. yes, before Jake Gyllenhaal i Conor McGregorremake of the 1989 Swayze classic, there was actually an officer House Road sequel released straight to video in 2006. And watching it sure hurts.

Movie stars Jonathan Schaech how Shane Tanner, a New York DEA agent and son of the legendary Dalton. Considering it was only 17 years between movies and Dalton never mentioned having a child, it's probably best to just accept it and move on. However, the truly crazy aspect of the sequel is that when the movie opens, beloved Dalton, the coolest guy in the business and the brave hero who brought justice to the Double Deuce bar, he's dead.

How “Road House 2: Last Call” was born.

According to Schaech, who also had a credit on the film, Road House 2: Last Call it was meant to be a remake, not a sequel. That's when Sony Pictures Home Entertainment stepped in. At the time, Sony had been releasing low-budget direct-to-video sequels to popular films, often with little or no connection to the source material, such as Cruel intentions 2, Hollow Man 2i Single White Woman 2: The Psycho.

Scott Ziehlthe man behind Sony Cruel intentions 3directed Road House 2: Last Call, and oversaw a cast that was also there Jake Busey (Starship Troopers) i Will Pattonwhose underrated career gained a new following after his role as Garrett Randall in seasons 3 and 4 of Yellowstone. Richard Norton, Ellen Hollmani Marisa Quintanilla completed the cast. The filmmakers approached Swayze to reprise his role as Dalton, but he declined, proving he could still spot trouble like an ace cooler.

The many problems with “Road House 2: Last Call”

In the sequel, Dalton's son Shane becomes embroiled in a Louisiana blood feud when his uncle Nate (Patton), owner of black pelican house on the road, is brutally beaten by the cowards Wild Bill (Busey), a former employee who intends to acquire the bar for the Miami-based crime boss Victor Creu (Norton). It just so happens that the Black Pelican is in the perfect place to facilitate Cross' drug dealing operations, and he won't take no for an answer. Shane shows up in town, has a nice encounter with the charmer pretty (Hollman) over a flat tire, and then proceeds to defend his uncle and the Black Pelican from the psychotic duo of Wild Bill and Cross. Chaos ensues.

Aside from the typical acting and writing pitfalls of low-budget fare, one of the film's most obvious weaknesses are the overly choreographed fight scenes that make it seem more Crouching Tiger, House of the Hidden Road. Apparently everyone in this small southern town is a karate expert, including Shane's love interest Beau, an elementary school teacher and former Army vet who goes full ninja in the final climactic battle of the film. The only person without a black belt is Wild Bill, and Busey's clumsy, heavy-handed moves make him a laughable adversary for the slick Schaech. In their final showdown, Shane throws Wild Bill through an upper window of the Black Pelican and impales him on the bar's wooden mascot. Surely that's how Casablanca finished.

Of course, the film's biggest problem is Dalton's off-screen murder. Shane began his career as a Louisiana state trooper. One day, he came home to find his father shot. Instead of doggedly investigating the murder and apprehending the killer, he brought him to New York and became a DEA agent. It's not exactly the ideal hero's journey. However, in a miraculous coincidence, Cross and Wild Bill were responsible for Dalton's death. It turns out that Shane had angered Cross while performing his state police duties, so Cross ordered Wild Bill to kill him, only for Wild Bill to shoot Dalton by mistake. The absurd circumstances of his death aside, killing off the beloved Dalton makes the original film soulless and makes this unwanted sequel soulless.

Possible solutions to Dalton's death

Once Swayze refused to appear in the film, the filmmakers had to address why Dalton wasn't involved. Unfortunately, they chose the worst way to do it. Why even make Dalton's father Shane? Shane was basically raised by his uncle Nate because Dalton “traveled a lot”. Just make Dalton the uncle and Nate the dad. This way, fans know that Dalton is alive and well and still having amazing adventures. There could even be talk of bringing in Dalton to help him, but Shane wants to handle things and prove to his father that he's his own man. The Dalton family has a new chapter of badassery, and no one has to think about the death of the legendary James Dalton.

If Dalton has to die, at least make his death mean something. Why is beating Shane's uncle the thing that brings him home? Make Dalton's death the inciting incident. The son returns home to avenge his father. Dalton should be lionized. Make every scene one step closer to getting justice for Dalton. As it is now, Shane returns home to protect his uncle and ends up accidentally solving Dalton's murder thanks to a remarkable coincidence. This is not good enough. Even elements of mystery could be introduced to heighten the drama. Who killed Dalton? Was it a disgruntled employee, an old rival or a crazy drug lord? Regardless, the key point is that Dalton's death should drive the plot, not be a simple afterthought.

In the end, Road House 2: Last Call it doesn't live up to the legacy of the original. Schaech's Shane is a flickering match compared to Swayze's charismatic supernova Dalton, and the forced action scenes and illogical script scream straight to video. Any hope of a good time was dashed by the mind-bogglingly poor decision to kill Dalton. All the gratuitous gunfights and denim-clad kung fu kicks in the world can't make up for this unforgivable sin.

Road House 2: Last Call is available for streaming on VUDU in the US

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