What stands out in ROAD HOUSE, despite the lurid melodramatics of the plot, is RICHARD WIDMARK doing his standard psychopathic job once he discovers his love life has been compromised when IDA LUPINO and CORNEL WILDE fall in love with each other. Widmark takes full advantage of his character's sudden turn from nice guy to a man consumed by cunning jealousy, trapping Wilde into a charge of theft that almost puts the victimized man into prison.
Widmark gets the judge to suspend sentence and has Wilde's parole placed under his management. At this point, the plot becomes wildly melodramatic and churns up the heat for the last twenty minutes of explosive emotional fireworks. The fight scenes between Widmark and Wilde are artfully staged and look painfully realistic.
Widmark and Lupino dominate the film with forceful work, full of intensity. Wilde is impressively quiet but determined and looks like he'd make a good bouncer at any bar. CELESTE HOLM has more of an onlooker role that does nothing for her career but does about as well as she can with a nothing part.
Jean Negulesco has done much better work in other melodramas (notably JOHNNY BELINDA). Here, he directs the film well but lets the melodrama get a bit too overwrought by the time the film winds toward a conclusion. It's not one of his best films.
Ida Lupino's husky voice is barely able to wobble through a few good song numbers, which makes her nightclub scenes a little ludicrous. It's one thing to have a throaty voice for standard pop tunes sung in a husky manner, but Lupino's vocals suffer from her one-note monotone delivery.
Widmark gets the judge to suspend sentence and has Wilde's parole placed under his management. At this point, the plot becomes wildly melodramatic and churns up the heat for the last twenty minutes of explosive emotional fireworks. The fight scenes between Widmark and Wilde are artfully staged and look painfully realistic.
Widmark and Lupino dominate the film with forceful work, full of intensity. Wilde is impressively quiet but determined and looks like he'd make a good bouncer at any bar. CELESTE HOLM has more of an onlooker role that does nothing for her career but does about as well as she can with a nothing part.
Jean Negulesco has done much better work in other melodramas (notably JOHNNY BELINDA). Here, he directs the film well but lets the melodrama get a bit too overwrought by the time the film winds toward a conclusion. It's not one of his best films.
Ida Lupino's husky voice is barely able to wobble through a few good song numbers, which makes her nightclub scenes a little ludicrous. It's one thing to have a throaty voice for standard pop tunes sung in a husky manner, but Lupino's vocals suffer from her one-note monotone delivery.