What Is the Story About?
A reimagining of the now cult 1989 film of the same name, Road House follows former UFC middleweight fighter Elwood Dalton as he takes up the ‘bouncer offer’ from Frankie, the owner of an infamously notorious roadhouse in Florida Keys. Dalton becomes increasingly popular in the area after he successfully breaks a group of thugs of a local big fish (Bren Brandt) without breaking a sweat. A Furious Bren hires a maniac Knox to knock Dalton down. Will Dalton beat Knox’s head down? Will he give up and return? What happens to his new love-life? The newest remake has answers to all these questions.
Performances?
Road House is certainly salvaged largely by its actors. Jake Gyllenhaal emits true-blue movie-star aura and he effortlessly fits in the part played by Patrick Swayze in the 1989 original. His action moves are slick, testosterone fuelled and smashy.
Conor McGregor in his first acting role however disappoints. He is terribly one note like the doubled maniac energy fuelled Knox. Unlike his other wrestling contemporaries like John Cena, he doesn’t seem to have singled out a space for himself in the film other than playing the typical aggresive wrestler antagonist.
Daniela Melchior plays Ellie, who doesn’t have much to do in the film, very much like the original but she shares good rapport and chemistry with Jake Gyllenhaal onscreen.
Analysis
Road House (2024), directed by Mr&Mrs Smith & Edge of Tomorrow fame Doug Liman and written by Anthony Bagarozzi and Chuck Mondry is a modern day retelling (in a fancy way) or basically a remake of the (now cult) 1989 movie of the same name starring Patrick Swayze.
Completely critically slashed upon release, the 1989 Road House had immense violently cheesy action and a plot revolving around an unlikely messiah protecting a small town from a money-hungry, corrupt businessman. While the movie developed a cult following after its cable run, did the film warrant a remake? The answer would be no because one of the major reasons the film has a fan-base is its cheesiness, bizzare treatment and it’s existence between the good, bad and very bad.
The call to remagine such a plot for a 2024 audience is unarguably questionable, but does Road House (2024) succeed in selling the reimagined version? Probably a little no and a little yes. While, the leading man without an ounce of doubt carries the movie-star aura and sells an ex fighter turned bouncer turned saviour with ease, what doesn’t work is the out-dated story and it’s execution by Doug Liman – someone who has had a novel action palette of his own.
There’s too much of men-on-steroids not making sense, fighting and engaging in ugly brawls and a tail-less caged romance. The writing has some minor deviations in comparison to the original, like Elwood Dalton himself being a washed ex-fighter and not a famous bouncer, Elwood Dalton’s decision to go to Florida Keys as a bouncer, over the top stakes (like a crocodile, seriously?) and bloody brutal violence. But then they could be Liman’s way of undoing the goofiness and upgrading the violence.
Another dismally disappointing thing about the new Road House movie is that its CGI is too tacky. Too painful to watch sometimes. Probably, this is the reason Amazon decided to skip the theatre release. Like ain’t no way that a film like this would escape the CGI-dissection debate. However, when there’s violence and action there’s a lot of well choreographed and shot stunt sequences that’d quench action-fanatics’ thirst.
But, here’s the catch! Road House (2024) practically doesn’t have the original’s metal in being silly and goofy. It’s quite regular and amps up notches only in psychotic violence. Hence it’s given that the film wouldn’t gather the appreciation the original garnered over the years. And also, McGregor is simply a one note psycho in his acting debut.
The plot of Road House (1989) can be seen in multiple Indian action films of the 80s and even the current wave of barely tolerable Indian ‘angry-young-grey-men’ would resonate with it. To be precise, Road House (2024) updates the original (now termed as one of the best worst pictures ever) and makes it more accurately stupid to the current audience without the perks of longevity. It’s action choreography is racy, flashy and sleek and lest forget, also has a quality-upgraded cast.
The subjectivity of cinema is sometimes an interesting paradox. Even movies nominated for Worse Picture Awards back in the day could garner a cult following and star-stacked re-hashes decades later, because of its sheer impact – negative or positive and have people compare its stupidity with its successor’s.
Music and Other Departments?
Christophe Beck’s music rightly sets the score and tone of a storyline so dated back to the 80s and reimagines it in contemporary times. Henry Braham’s cinematography is nothing extraordinary. Road House’s stunt Choreography however ,is one of its most valuable assets as it is pacy, flashy, brutal and fast-paced.
Highlights?
Jake Gyllenhaal
Slick and flashy action
Drawbacks?
Routine treatment
Run-of-the-mill story
Extensive & terrible CGI
One-note caricature characters
Did I Enjoy It?
Yes, in parts.
Will You Recommend It?
Yes. If you’re an action fanatic, a high on steroids Jake Gyllenhaal and Conor McGregor facing-off could entertain you enough.
Road House Movie Review by Binged Bureau
We’re hiring!
We are hiring two full-time junior to mid-level writers with the option to work remotely. You need to work a 5-hour shift and be available to write. Interested candidates should email their sample articles to [email protected]. Applications without a sample article will not be considered.
