Road House (2024) is directed by Doug Liman and stars Jake Gyllenhaal, Daniela Melchior, Billy Magnussen, Conor McGregor, Jessica Williams, Joaquim de Almeida, Lukas Gage, B.K. Cannon, Dominique Columbus, Arturo Castro, JD Pardo, Beau Knapp, Hannah Love Lanier, Kevin Carroll, and Post Malone. This is a remake of Road House (1989) and follows Dalton (Gyllenhaal), an ex-UFC vet who takes a job as a bouncer at a rowdy bar in the Florida Keys. When a local crime boss (Magnussen) interested in taking over the property begins sending violent goons to scare away customers, Dalton teams up with a local doctor (Melchior) to stop them by any means necessary.

Although Gyllenhaal’s lead performance is a bit less “lightning in a bottle” than Swayze in the original, he’s also less stoic and more complex as a character. I appreciated the change to make his character an ex-UFC fighter instead of a famous bouncer. Seriously, have you ever even heard of a famous bouncer? He’s surprisingly capable as a fist-to-cuffs action hero. Because of this, his character is a bit more human which causes his romantic scenes with his love interest played by Daniela Melchior work far better than the original on an emotional level. 

I’ve never understood casting Billy Magnessum as a villain, but I do think this is his best effort playing the archetype. I think this is because the character’s “ I don’t like to get my hands dirty” attitude is balanced by the unhinged nature of his main henchman, Knox (McGregor). It’s smart that this movie takes the iconic henchman played by Marshall R. Teague in the original and elevates the character to what is essentially the film’s main threat. From his first scene, it’s clear that McGregor does not know how to act. That being said, his natural “showman” charisma is enough to allow McGregor to essentially play himself. He’s this character in real life. It’s a ton of fun, but I’m not sure I’m dying to see him in anything else in the near future. 

Thankfully, this film avoids feeling like a needless remake by implementing some logical changes from the original. The setting is a lot more visually compelling and allows for location-unique action sequences, the pacing is much faster, and the characters are generally just more realistic in terms of their actions/decisions. It also succeeds in avoiding being a half remake/half sequel like so many “legacy” movies are nowadays. They rarely work as either when both are implemented. Because this chooses to be a definitive remake, its similarities to the original are more forgivable. For example, I can’t stand a movie like Mean Girls (2024) which recycles the plot of the original to a tee but then implies it’s happening in the same timeline as that film. Do they really think I’m so stupid that I’m supposed to believe the exact same events happened to the exact same people in the exact same place? Even with all the changes made, the campy tone of the original is carried over. It really does a nice job of respecting fans of the original while doing just enough to feel like a unique experience. 

The action is filmed in such a way that allows the viewer to feel each punch. Unfortunately, the odd use of noticeable CGI during the hand-to-hand combat leaves a bad taste in one’s mouth. Fistfights are one of the cheapest things to film practically (and they look better that way), so why use CGI at all? The speed at which the camera moves during these sequences seems to be intended to enhance the intensity, but it is overused to the point where it actually just gives me a headache. To round things out, they also lack a tad of the dark edge the original film had to offer. That being said, at least they’re consistently fun and appropriately campy. 

Overall, this is one of the more inspired remakes I’ve seen in a while and only suffers from the inherent flaws that remakes often display. It’s a fun action movie that’s on paper more technically impressive than the original, it just lacks that movie’s timeless X-factor. This essentially makes this a well-made but somewhat typical action experience that’s elevated by who are clearly an inspired cast/crew. My hopes weren’t high, but I was pleasantly surprised. B