Road House movie review

MOVIE TITLE: Road House

This action/drama is now playing exclusively on Amazon Prime.

RATING: R

LENGTH: 2 hours 1 minute

Movie Review Mom GRADE: B

IN A NUTSHELL:

Awww, Patrick Swayze. We all miss him, right? He’s the one who starred in the original Road House movie and created such a charismatic character. The direct-to-DVD sequel in 2006 was called Road House 2: Last Call. This remake of the first one is about an Ex-UFC fighter who takes a job as a bouncer at a roadhouse in the Florida Keys, only to discover that this paradise is not all it seems.

The fight flick was directed by Doug Liman. Writing credits go to Anthony Bagarozzi, Chuck Mondry, and R. Lance Hill. Already, the film has been nominated for the Audience Award at the SXSW Film Festival.

If you’re in the mood for a movie filled with bloody bar brawls, this one’s for you.

THINGS I LIKED:

Woo! Jake Gyllenhaall looks great. What is he, like 3% body fat of twisted steel? Wow. He’s such a fantastic actor too. He always picks such interesting, flawed characters. In this movie, he wears a goofy, easy-going grin but his eyes simmer with lethal anger. He takes a serious beating in this one. He trained with Jason Walsh to get ready for his lethal role as an ex-UFC fighter. Some of the scenes were filmed during the actual UFC 285 event. The director said this was one of Jake Gyllenhaal’s best performances ever. I love Patrick Swayze, but Jake’s carved and ripped physique makes Patrick look like a marshmallow.
The believable cast includes Billy Magnussen, Joaquim de Almeida, Arturo Castro, B.K. Cannon, Dominique Columbus, Daniela Melchior, and more.
I got a kick out of an over-the-top Conor McGregor in this. He’s an Irish mixed-martial artist who competes in the featherweight division of the UFC, although there is nothing feathery about him. This is his film debut. He’s such a beast. I’ve read some reviews that said Conor McGregor ruined the movie, but he dominated the screen in every scene he was in…in a good way.
We get to hear some fun, lively music by “Rockin Dopsie Brothers”, a live band from Lafayette, Louisiana.
I finally got to go to Key West for the first time a few years ago and loved it! The blue ocean water and reefs are so gorgeous there.
Wow, that is one intense crocodile. We learn that crocs hide their food too.
There’s an enjoyable amount of spoken and visual humor, much more than the original movie.
The movie poster is awesome.
The filmmakers claimed to create a new “multi-pass” technique to make the fight sequences look more realistic. They definitely look different from typical fight choreography. Some viewers will defend the original movie but they have to admit the fight sequences are much better in this remake.
The set design team built the Road House from scratch and did such a great job that it held up during Hurricane Fiona in the Dominican Republic in 2022 where they filmed.
I appreciate that it’s not as sex-crazed as the original movie. There were so many topless women and sex scenes in that one. In fact, this new one is down-right clean in that regard.
One of the characters describes what’s happening in the story as a Western movie. In many ways, it is.
Keep watching during the final rolling credits for some of the crazy highlights with some cool slow-motion effects and another funny scene.

THINGS I DIDN’T LIKE:

The villains are like cartoon characters.
Some of the dialogue is just silly. For example, this one: “You’re going to kill me now? I thought we had to be friends first.”
Some fans of the original won’t like the changes that have been made to the remake.

TIPS FOR PARENTS:

TONS of bloody, brutal fighting
Profanity and a million F-bombs
We see the naked backside of a man twice.
Lots of destruction.
People die.

THEMES:

Greed
Anger
Control
Past mistakes

FUNNY LINES:

“Imagine having a drink right there with somebody special, you know? You could even get married here. Divorced too. Then you can come back and drown your sorrows. I mean, it’s a whole circle of life thing.” – Frankie (Jessica Williams)
“Shxx happens. Only here, it always happens on a beautiful day.” – Charlie
“People seem a little bit aggressive around here.” – Elwood Dalton (Jake Gyllenhaal)
“Why all the fuss? I mean, I’m just some guy.” – Elwood Dalton (Jake Gyllenhaal)
SPOILER: “Listen, Dell was a piece of shxx. Okay? He and his friends terrorized us for months. And I know we shouldn’t be happy that he’s dead and the fact that I am happy is a huge problem. And it’s something I’m going to work on.” – Frankie (Jessica Williams)
“Thank you for no more violence.” – (Arturo Castro)
“Lookie here, our own little octagon!” – “What? Who taught you shapes?” – Elwood Dalton (Jake Gyllenhaall)

INTERESTING LINES:

“You sure you thought this all the way through?” – Elwood Dalton (Jake Gyllenhaall)
“No one ever wins a fight.” – Elwood Dalton (Jake Gyllenhaall)
“Extreme irritation leads to something beautiful.” – Dalton (Jake Gyllenhaall talking about how pearls are made)