Road House (1989) - Quotes

Taglines: Dalton's the best bouncer in the business. His nights are filled with fast action, hot music and beautiful women. It's a dirty job, but somebody's got to do it.

Taglines: Dalton lives like a loner, fights like a professional. And loves like there's no tomorrow.

Taglines: The dancing's over. Now it gets dirty.

Wesley: Dalton, I have a cousin in Memphis. Tells me you killed a man down there. Tells me you said it was self-defense at the trial. But you and I know that isn't so, don't we?

Wesley: Relax. Relax. Tell me, if I owned a bar and I wanted to clean it up, how much would it take to get you to come work for me?

Dalton: There's no amount of money.

Wesley: [sees Dalton looking at a man's picture] My grandfather.

Dalton: Looks like an important man.

Wesley: He was an asshole. But you, you're a smart boy, aren't you, Dalton? You're just not too realistic. Christ, I'm just like you. I came up the hard way, from the streets of Chicago. You know, when I came to this town after Korea there was nothing. I brought the mall here. I got the 7-Eleven. I got the Fotomat here. Christ, JC Penney is coming here because of me. You ask anybody, they'll tell you.

Dalton: You've gotten rich off of the people in this town.

Wesley: [laughs] You bet your ass I have. And I'm gonna get richer. I believe we all have a purpose on this earth. A destiny. I have a faith in that destiny. It tells me to gather unto me what is mine. But, Christ, you get paid for beating people up. Tell me you don't love it. Of course you do. You wouldn't be human if you didn't.

Wesley: [after seeing Pat with a broken nose] Did I explain it wrong? Is that it?

O'Connor: No, boss, you didn't.

Wesley: [to Jimmy; to Tinker and O'Connor] Pat's got a weak constitution. You boys know that. That's why he's working as a bartender. He's my only sister's son. And if he doesn't have me, who's he got? And if I'm not there, you're there. I should've let you go, Jimmy. Well, one of you boys owes me an apology. Now I leave it up to you to decide which one of you wants to say "I'm sorry.

Tinker: [takes off his hat] I'm sorry, boss.

O'Connor: I'm sorry, boss.

Wesley: [walks over to O'Connor] I believe you, Tinker. But you, O'Connor, somehow I don't believe you. Now you better try it again. cause if there's one thing I can't stand, it's a man who's untruthful.

O'Connor: I'm sorry, boss.

Wesley: If there's one thing that disgusts me, it's a man who can't admit when he's wrong.

O'Connor: I swear to God, boss, I'm sorry.

Wesley: You disgust me, O'Connor. You wanna know why you disgust me?

O'Connor: No, why, boss?

Wesley: [punches him; kicks him in the groin; karate chops him and knocks him down; to his men; Wesley's men stand him up; punches and knocks him out] Cause you're a bleeder. You bleed too much. You are a messy bleeder. You're weak. You got no endurance for PAIN. Aw, come on, get up. Hey, you'll be fine. Come on. Well, help him up! You're gonna be fine. And you know why? Because I like you. Get this piece-of-shit coward out of here.

Dalton: Sorry, we're closed.

Ketchum: Then what are all these people doing here?

Dalton: Drinking and having a good time.

Ketchum: That's why we're here.

Dalton: You're too stupid to have a good time.

Wade: [on the phone] You havin trouble?

Dalton: Oh, you know — nothing I'm not used to. But it's amazing what you can get used to, huh?

Wade: Yeah, tell me about it. This place has a sign hangin over the urinal that says, "Don't eat the big white mint".

Doc: Your file says you've got a degree from NYU. What in?

Dalton: Philosophy.

Doc: Any particular discipline?

Dalton: No. Not really. Man's search for faith. That sort of shit.

Doc: Come up with any answers?

Dalton: Not too many.

Doc: How's a guy like you end up a bouncer?

Dalton: Just lucky I guess.

Dalton: People who really want to have a good time won't come to a slaughterhouse, and we've got entirely too many troublemakers here... too many uhh, 40 year old adolescents, felons, power drinkers, and trustees of modern chemistry. It's going to change.

Hank: Yeah, that sure sounds good, but a lot of the guys who come in here we can't handle one-on-one. Even two-on-one.

Dalton: Don't worry about it; all you have to do is follow 3 simple rules: One, never underestimate your opponent..expect the unexpected; Two, take it outside, never start anything inside the bar unless it's absolutely necessary; and Three...be nice.

Hank: [Incredulously] Come on!

Dalton: If somebody gets in your face and calls you a cocksucker, I want you to be nice

Hank: [With resignation] Ok.

Dalton: Ask him to walk, but be nice. If he won't walk, walk him, but be nice. If you can't walk him, one of the others will help you and you will both be nice. I want you to remember that it's a job, it's nothing personal.

Steve: Uh-huh, being called a cocksucker isn't personal?

Dalton: No, it's two nouns combined to elicit a prescribed response.

Steve: What if somebody calls my Mama a whore?

Dalton: Is she?

Dalton: I want you to be nice... until it's time... to not be nice.

Bouncer: Well, uh, how are we supposed to know when that is?

Dalton: You won't. I'll let you know. You are the bouncers, I am the cooler. All you have to do is watch my back and each others... and take out the trash!

Carrie Ann: What did you do there last night?

Dalton: What do you mean?

Carrie Ann: You fired the bartender, Pat.

Dalton: He was skimming.

Carrie Ann: You should not have done that, Dalton.

Dalton: Yeah, why's that?

Carrie Ann: [hands him food] You just shouldn't have, that's all. Here you go. Breakfast.

Dalton: Oh, thank you.

Carrie Ann: [chuckling] Oh, my god…

Dalton: What is the joke?

Carrie Ann: Well, there's no joke. I just think I'm looking at a dead man, though.

Dalton: It seems everywhere I go, I hear that same joke.

Carrie Ann: Yeah, well, something tells me you bring it on yourself.

Dalton: Steve, You're history…

Steve: But I'm on my break..

Dalton: Stay on it.

Red: How long are you gonna be in town?

Dalton: Not very long.

Red: That's what I said 25 years ago.

Dalton: Really? What happened?

Red: I got married to an ugly woman. Don't ever do that. It just takes the energy right out of you. She left me, though. Found somebody even uglier than she was. That's life. Who can explain it?

Emmett: It ain't the money ya understand, but if I don't charge ya somethin the Presbyterians around here are likely to pray for my ruination. How does a hundred dollars a month strike ya?

Dalton: Fine.

Emmett: Can ya afford that much?

Dalton: If it keeps you in the good graces of the church.

Emmett: Ain't it peculiar how money seems to do that very thing?

Brad Wesley: I see you found my trophy room Dalton. The only thing that's missing... is your ass!

Wade Garrett: [admiring Doc] That gal's got entirely too many brains to have an ass like that.

James Dalton: Give me the biggest guy in the world; you smash his knee and he'll drop like stone.

James Dalton: Pain don't hurt.