Road House 2: Last Call

What? No wait, no pun intended, also no last call for anything. Since there is a remake of the very first Road House on the way. This sequel in name only is really far inferior to the other movie. It does mirror some of the scenes of the first one, but does have an overall story, which I reckon it felt was missing from the other movie.

But what the other movie may have been "lacking" story wise, this lacks in almost everything else. Although it was made over a decade after the first one, the fight scenes seem worse. Ok so that may be a budget thing - but for a movie that relies on those ... well not just on those. We also get the nudity, the sex appeal and so forth. The machismo may not be as big as it was in the first one ... but while I really like Jonathan, he is no Patrick Swayze. Sorry to say - but I am certain most will agree.

This is not the worse movie ever, but with the title I reckon many expect more. Or will be satisfied because they expected way worse ... depends on you. I do expect way better things from Jake Gyllenhaal who may just have the charisma to pull of the remake all by himself.

This film essentially begins with a nightclub owner in rural Louisiana by the name of "Nate Tanner" (Will Patton) having some difficulties with a drug lord named "Wild Bill" (Jake Busey) who is determined to buy him out. Eventually, things turn violent and Nate is hospitalized in the Intensive Care Unit of the local hospital. Since there is nobody else in the family to run the nightclub, Nate's nephew "Shane Tanner" (Johnathon Schaech) takes time off from his duties as a DEA agent in New York to fill in for him. Needless to say, he is not intimidated when Wild Bill comes around demanding that he sell the nightclub to him and that's when things soon get out-of-control. Now rather than reveal any more I will just say that this was a film that was not only highly predictable but also contained several ridiculous fight scenes involving certain characters who had sustained serious injuries days-if not minutes-beforehand. I also didn't quite care for the over-acting on the part of Jake Busey. Admittedly, I liked the Louisiana Bayou scenery and having two attractive actresses like Ellen Hollman (as Shane's girlfriend "Beau") and Marisa Quintanilla ("Nadja") certainly didn't hurt in that regard either. In any case, although this isn't a terrible movie by any means, the picture had too much of a cut-and-paste feel to it and for that reason I have rated it accordingly. Slightly below average.

I didn't actually know that there was a sequel released to the 1989 movie "Road House", but having sat down to watch the 1989 and the 2024 reboot yesterday, I found my way to sit down and watch the 2006 movie "Road House 2: Last Call" as well.

As I had never heard about the movie, and thus never seen it, I didn't know what to expect from director Scott Ziehl. So he had every opportunity to impress and entertain me with this 2006 sequel.

Writers Miles Chapman, Johnathon Schaech and Richard Chizmar put together a fair enough script and storyline, though it felt a bit campy and not overly original. But it certainly made a suitable viewing experience the first time around. "Road House 2: Last Call" is hardly going to become a classic like the 1989 movie was.

The movie does, however, have a good cast ensemble, with the likes of Johnathon Schaech, Jake Busey and Will Patton, among others. And the acting performances were actually good enough.

There was a good amount of action in the movie, and some nicely choreographed and executed fight scenes, which definitely helped to keep the movie afloat.

I will say, though, that "Road House 2: Last Call" proved better than what I had initially expected from a sequel such as it turned out to be. But hardly a movie that had me all thrilled and worked up.

My rating of "Road House 2: Last Call" lands on a five out of ten stars.

For all the people who gave this film a ten, you should be rounded up and shot. I can understand a varying taste, but this film was a bomb.

Allegedly, Patrick Swayze was originally supposed to play the bar owner. I wish that had been true because that character is very awesome in this film, but pales in comparison to Swayze. Also, I find it annoying that the film needed to compensate for him absence by referencing his murder so many times. (I don't know which I find more disturbing: the over-using of references, or the fact they killed off a cinematic hero.) With Swayze gone, this film has virtually no connection to the first. It does not even take place in the same bar. In my personal opinion, writing the last few references out of the script and giving this film a new title (rather than being a sequel) might have given it some box office time. It does, however, have a midget and stars the guy from "Doom Generation".

And since the director is best known for "Cruel Intentions 3", I guess a "Road House 2" shouldn't be a shock.

The only redeeming quality to this film (besides the midget) was the humor of Jake Busey. While not supposed to be funny, seeing Jake look and act just like his father and be a rap-listening gangster was just so silly to me. Oh, and there are some nice looking girls, too, who were probably lied to about what this would do for their careers. Sorry girls, you're going straight to video.

I would say rent this if you're a die-hard Road House fan, but the truth is this film does nothing but tarnish the good name of the original. Yes, there's some great fights (the same guy gets beat up like six times) but nothing like the scenes in Road House.

It's been 20 years since Patrick Swayze cleaned up that other Road House that Kevin Tighe owned in the original Road House. He's got a son now who's a chip off the old karate block and DEA agent to boot played by Jonathan Schaech.

Business gets combined with pleasure and vengeance when Schaech is busy trying to take down a drug kingpin. That selfsame drug kingpin is also looking to move in on the bar owned by Will Patton who is Schaech's uncle. This road house is in the Louisiana bayous on a well traveled road that the cartels use for smuggling. Oh, and did we say that this same crowd murdered Swayze before the action of this film takes place.

It's all just a little too neatly conveniently wrapped up in a nice package, all of Schaech's issues getting resolved at once. And this Road House certainly does not have the great performance of Ben Gazzara who was the head villain there. Richard Norton and Jake Busey just don't enter into that class.

One to watch for in this film is Marisa Quintanilla a pretty, but deadly assassin. Her chick fight with Ellen Hollman is one for the books.

Road House 2: Last Call just does not have the style of the original Road House. No wonder Patrick Swayze declined participation.