Film Review: ‘Road House’ is Campy and Over the Top in Exactly the Manner You’d Hope For

Was anyone calling out for a remake of Road House? No, I don’t think so. If you were, my apologies. That being said, even if you were pumped for this, I suspect you weren’t expecting this film to be as silly as it is. The original was a star vehicle for Patrick Swayze, sure, and it’s fun, but this has an almost comedic vibe at times. Is it strange? Yes. Does it work way better than expected? Also yes. I had such a good time with this flick. It’s a shame that this isn’t going to theaters, because it’s very much made to be enjoyed with a crowd.

Road House is a blast. It knows that the material is campy and over the top, so it embraces the trash aspect of it all. Remaking a cult classic can easily be a fool’s errand, so knowing where to lean in on the cheesiness ends up paying dividends. This is the sort of work where the phrase “dumb fun” is very much meant as a compliment.

The remake moves the action to the Florida Keys, where former UFC fighter Dalton (Jake Gyllenhaal) is recruited by bar owner Frankie (Jessica Williams) to help keep the peace. Dalton is haunted by a match gone wrong, so his reputation precedes him. Making a meager living by just winning fights that his opponents refuse to partake in, something drives him to wind up down in the Keys. Seeing Frankie’s bar, named simply Road House, he’s nonplussed by the trouble at hand. Taking care of business on night one, he not only puts some toughs in the hospital, he drives them there as well, drawing the ire as well as the interest of a doctor in Ellie (Daniela Melchior). Of course, his legend immediately grows, putting him on the radar of someone very keen to remove him from the equation.

It turns out that the trouble at the bar is being orchestrated by Ben Brandt (Billy Magnussen), a local gangster determined to drive them out and take over the property. When Dalton proves a thorn in his side, he calls in the psychotic Knox (Conor McGregor) to eliminate him. Chaos and destruction ensues, especially once Dalton begins a revenge tour.

Jake Gyllenhaal is having the time of his life here, giving some interesting quirks to Dalton. So too is Conor McGregor, who goes so big with the part that he’s almost on another plane of existence. When they duke it out, action movie sparks fly. Gyllenhaal plays up a laconic oddness to the role, which is a blast, while McGregor just goes balls to the wall. Billy Magnussen also is having a ton of fun with his frustrated villain, which leads to some very amusing moments. Daniela Melchior and Jessica Williams have less to do, unfortunately, but still have their moments to shine. Supporting players include B.K. Cannon, Arturo Castro, Dominique Columbus, Joaquim de Almeida, Lukas Gage, Beau Knapp, Post Malone, Travis Van Winkle, and more.

Director Doug Liman doesn’t shy away from how trashy the material is. Writers Anthony Bagarozzi and Charles Mondry (who also share a Story By credit with David Lee Henry), don’t try to make this film anything that it’s not. Liman takes an admittedly thin plot and keeps you from ever paying too much attention to it. The Road House script is nothing to write home about, but the directing is so lively that it’s not even a tiny issue.

Road House is so much fun. In a perfect world, the film would be opening wide this weekend, as opposed to Prime Video, but it doesn’t take away from how pleasing it is. This movie knows what it is, embraces it all, and winds up being a delight. It’s not high art, to be sure, but it succeeds at being exactly the kind of wild action project that we all could use. What a ride!

SCORE: ★★★