I believe we all have a old movie in our favorites list that we believe to be severely underrated. As far as my list goes, I would have to give one of the top spots to 1989’s Roadhouse. Any Family Guy fans out there? For starters, I’m a martial arts nut and I also happen to like 80’s action movies. What makes Roadhouse so special is that it fully realizes what it is and flexes its muscles that way. I mean, what else can we expect from an 80’s action movie? Roadhouse is very corny and very over-the-top, but that’s exactly what it was going for. Agree or disagree with me, I can always kick back and enjoy a good rewatch of Roadhouse. In fact, I can honestly go for a remake.
I remember not too long ago there were talks of a legitimate Roadhouse remake coming. For anyone else who remembers, the new Dalton was actually going to be in the form of Ronda Rousey. Feel free to talk about Ronda’s acting ability, but a Roadhouse star doesn’t really need to exactly be Oscar material. What it does need, however, is a competent martial artist. The late Patrick Swayze was a talented man, but he was never considered a martial artist. Granted, he went through some rigorous training, but it always helps to have a genuine martial artist to play a martial artist.
Ronda Rousey was good enough to become a champion and is a 6th dan black belt in Judo. Seeing her in a Roadhouse remake would’ve given us a different kind of hero, because unlike the flashy and head-kicking Dalton, her character would’ve been primarily a grappler. The fancy kicking was big thing in action movies in those days, but frankly, I’d prefer to see more styles being used on the big-screen. If you’re a fan of Judo, just take a look at the John Wick movies, because I don’t think I’ve ever seen Judo displayed so perfectly in movies before. If Ronda Rousey did get the chance to star in the Roadhouse remake, it would’ve basically been a big Judo fest. That would’ve been cool to see, but unfortunately, the remake never happened.
I’d like to think of it this way: the remake was cancelled, but the idea can be revitalized. We can probably get Ronda Rousey back, but why not go bigger? To be honest, I like the idea of a female fighter flexing her muscles, but I’d love to see other martial artist actors helm the project. Who would be best to play a modern version of Dalton? Let’s just forget about Ronda Rousey for one second and look at more prominent action stars.
Before I go into recasting Dalton, I can’t go any further without talking about the supporting characters of Roadhouse. Can we all just take a minute and appreciate the sheer badassery of Sam Elliot’s Wade Garrett? Seriously, is it even possible to top the manliness of Same Elliot? Maybe not, but I can think of several actors who can come pretty close. My number one choice would have to go to Wesley Snipes. Firstly, he’s an aging but iconic action star who has a legitimate martial arts background. No stunt double is needed for him; he can make every action scene look organic, because he is a true martial artist. It’s been a while since we’ve seen Wesley Snipes flew his muscles in an actual good movie, so why not make him a modern Wade Garrett?
Now, back to the main role of Dalton. This could be tough, because I’d very much prefer a well-known actor take the helm, but I also believe it’s more important to hire an experience martial artist. Ronda Rousey is skilled, but I reckon she was considered for the role due to her (former) status as a UFC champion. If you’re a martial arts fanatic, then you certainly know who she is and casting her would draw a crowd. Yeah, maybe she’s not the best actress, but like I said earlier, a Roadhouse remake doesn’t require an Oscar winner.
If I was directing the Roadhouse remake, I’d say take a chance with a lesser-known actor. As a big fan of martial arts movie, I can darn well guarantee you I know quite a few underrated stars that need to do more. For the role of a more modern Dalton, I would cast Lewis Tan, a severely underrated action star. If you’re a Marvel fan, look back at Deadpool 2. Tan played the brief, but hilarious role of the conceited Shatterstar. That role alone might not convince you that he’s a legitimate martial artist, but he’s got plenty more under his belt.
He’s been a part of another Marvel project when he played an adversary of the immortal Iron Fist. Yeah, that show wasn’t the greatest, but his scenes were pretty cool and he got a chance to show us his moves. Still, that was pretty much a cameo, so let’s take a look at something where he has a more central role. If you’re a Netflix owner, you should check out the series, Wu Assassins. Tan has a more central role and plays a bit of an anti-hero with some serious martial arts skills. Not only does the show give him a chance to display his martial arts ability, but it shows his acting ability as well.
Tan has legitimate stunt work on his resume and still practices martial arts, including Muay Thai and Kung Fu. This puts him above Patrick Swayze in the physicality department, but on top of that, he can also act. Tan has the chance to make the Dalton role his own by bringing an even more overconfident and facetious version of the character. That fact that he’s half-Asian and half-British only gives him the opportunity to make him an even more complex character. A calm half-breed walking into a small Missouri town would be a good fish out of water scenario to play with and would give him a much harder struggle. Plus, if he has Wesley Snipes as his mentor, that’ll only make him cooler.
As far as casting the villains, now that’s a challenge. The Jimmy character was Dalton’s greatest challenge, so he needs a very serious martial artist actor. My top choice would have to be Scott Adkins, another severely underrated action star. From Boyka, to Expendables 2, Adkins has certainly proven his worth as an action star. As far as his acting goes, he’s at his best when he’s playing a villain. He’ll be the perfect Jimmy to go toe-to-toe with Lewis Tan’s Dalton. Their fight in the original was awesome and I’d love to see a more grittier touch to it. Can we go higher than a throat being ripped out of the neck?
Now what about Ben Wesley? I’ll be honest, I haven’t the faintest idea on who to cast for that part. In this case, I’d say get an actor who is just a fantastic actor and not known for his martial arts prowess. I’ll just say this: I’ll take any great actor to play Brad Wesley but please include the car scene where he’s singing Sh-Boom. Honestly, that is one of the most underrated movie scenes of all time. It’s funny and it summed up the Wesley character quickly and clearly.
Does anyone else want a remake of Roadhouse as much as I do? The more I talk about this, the more I want it. I’m probably in the minority, but the future can hold anything. As Peter Griffin would say, “Roadhouse!”
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