Summary
Beautiful locations set the 2024 Road House remake apart from the original, but they also add to the story’s depth.
Elwood Dalton’s backstory as a former UFC fighter improves his character, making him a more tragic hero in the remake.
Conor McGregor shines as a compelling villain in the film, bringing a magnetic presence and chaotic glee to the character Knox.
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The 2024 remake of Road House is now available on Amazon Prime, and the comparisons to the 1989 remake have already begun. Road House is earning largely positive reviews, with many critics praising the action scenes and Jake Gyllenhaal’s performance as Elwood Dalton. Based on the character originally played by Patrick Swayze in 1989, Dalton is a former UFC fighter who takes a job as a bouncer in a bar in Florida, only to find that the local biker gang aren’t just looking to cause trouble for their own amusement.
Despite Road House’s controversies behind-the-scenes, the remake has earned a higher score on Rotten Tomatoes than the original. Action movie remakes are notoriously hit-and-miss, but Road House manages to deliver the same adrenaline-pumping thrills as the original, but with a few touches which elevate the story. Jake Gyllenhaal’s performance and an entertaining film debut from UFC star Conor McGregor are two of the main factors that make Road House a crowd-pleasing remake that improves upon the original.
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8 The Remake Has Beautiful Locations
2024’s Road House is set in the Florida Keys
image via Prime Video
The Double Deuce bar in the original Road House is located in a small town in Missouri. It makes more sense for this bar to attract a rowdy clientele, but it isn’t the picturesque location that the remake has. The Road House bar in the remake isn’t really a roadhouse at all. It’s a scenic bar with ocean views. As Frankie tells Dalton, it would be a nice place to get married. The bar isn’t the only beautiful location in the movie. Even the evil scheming of the villain takes place on a luxurious yacht.
The scenery isn’t just good to look at. It also adds weight to the story of an idyllic town beset by violent gangsters and a corrupt sheriff’s department. The villains in Glass Key live in an unspoiled paradise, but they want more. The location also represents the change in Dalton’s mental state. Before crossing the bridge to the Keys, he almost lets himself get hit by a train, but the town and its people give him something worth fighting for. The gorgeous scenery is a clever way of representing that.
7 Dalton’s Backstory Is More Sympathetic
Elwood Dalton was a famous UFC fighter
Elwood Dalton’s past as a UFC fighter means that people know who he is. He would prefer to escape his past, but that isn’t easy when the whole world saw him kill a man on YouTube.
In the original Road House, James Dalton is a professional bouncer in New York before he starts working at the Double Deuce in Missouri. The ghost from his past is that he once went too far and killed a man by ripping out his throat. The remake improves upon this same framework, making Dalton’s past even more tragic. Elwood Dalton is a former UFC fighter who pummeled an opponent to death in the ring. Before he moves to the Florida Keys, he is using his reputation to pick up easy money at underground MMA events.
Road House’s characters are mostly new creations for the remake. Dalton is a pre-existing character, but Gyllenhaal’s version is different to Swayze’s. Elwood Dalton’s past as a UFC fighter means that people know who he is. He would prefer to escape his past, but that isn’t easy when the whole world saw him kill a man on YouTube. His new enemies in Glass Key, and even some of his friends, constantly remind him of the worst moment of his life. This makes him a more tragic hero than James Dalton from the original Road House, although they have a lot in common.
6 Conor McGregor Plays A Compelling Villain
The former UFC champion mixes fighting pedigree with humor
Conor McGregor isn’t the only real-life UFC fighter in Road House, but he certainly has the biggest role. In his feature film acting debut, McGregor plays Knox, the volatile and unpredictable mercenary who is brought in by Brandt’s father to clean up his mess and shut down the Road House once and for all. McGregor isn’t the greatest actor, but he still has a magnetic presence as a flamboyant villain, and his real-life reputation infuses his fights with even more jeopardy.
From his introduction, strolling naked through a bustling market, to Road House’s post-credits scene when he bursts out of a hospital, McGregor is a major highlight. His action figure strut marks him out as a maverick early on, and he is clearly the biggest threat Dalton has faced even before he lifts a finger. McGregor channels a chaotic sort of glee that movie villains often have when they know they are too physically imposing for anyone to touch them. Knox enjoys violence and he has nothing to lose.
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5 The Mystery Plot Keeps Things Moving
Dalton must uncover why the Road House is being targeted
Movies like Road House run the risk of becoming too repetitive. Since so much of the movie’s appeal is about action, the story can appear to be a secondary concern. However, the Road House remake highlights the original’s failure in terms of plotting. It’s by no means a masterpiece of storytelling, but the remake uses several tricks which add up to a more compelling plot. The most important of these is the mystery plot, as Dalton has to figure out why Brandt and his goons are so fixated on the bar.
The mystery gives Dalton the opportunity to play the role of detective, which adds another layer to the movie. He’s still every bit the action hero, but he also has to out-think his adversaries. Dalton eventually pieces together the jigsaw and figures out that his problems will continue for as long as Brandt still has investors to repay. The introduction of Knox just shows how desperate Brandt’s father is to finish the deal.
4 The Remake Has A Funnier Script
Gyllenhaal is underrated as a comedic actor
image via Prime Video
Jake Gyllenhaal has played a few comedic characters in his career, like his wacky animal rights activist in Okja, but he also has a knack for making dramatic roles subtly funnier. This makes his characters feel more well-rounded and human. Road House gives him some great punch lines, and he also brings his comedic talents to some of the movie’s less funny moments. Whether he’s asking if a man has medical insurance before sending him to the hospital or training his deputy bouncers, Elwood Dalton has an infectious charm.
Patrick Swayze also gets the opportunity to deliver some wry comedic lines in the original Road House. He always has a wise crack when someone says he should be bigger, and his on-screen dynamic with Sam Elliott is irresistibly endearing. But the remake has more than one way of making its audience laugh. For example, the smash cut from Gyllenhaal dismantling an entire biker gang to him driving them to hospital. Arturo Castro is also a delight as a weedy gang member. Road House’s humor underlines the movie’s fun tone.
3 Doug Liman’s Direction Is More Ambitious
Liman has several action movies under his belt
Liman produces plenty of creative touches which make the action feel even bigger. During Dalton’s first fight with Knox at the Road House, Liman uses a POV shot to amplify the impact of Conor McGregor’s ferocious blows.
Doug Liman has some serious action pedigree. His movies include The Bourne Identity, Mr. & Mrs. Smith and Edge of Tomorrow. Road House is clearly the work of a confident director, with plenty of bold choices which heighten the intensity of the action. The original Road House, directed by Rowdy Herrington, doesn’t stack up in terms of visual flair. Herrington lets the action speak for itself, which is extremely effective, but still pales in comparison to what some action movies are capable of.
Liman produces plenty of creative touches which make the action feel even bigger. During Dalton’s first fight with Knox at the Road House, Liman uses a POV shot to amplify the impact of Conor McGregor’s ferocious blows. He returns to this shot choice during Road House’s explosive ending, when Dalton once more seems as if he’s on the brink of death. Liman also uses techniques which echo David Leitch or Guy Ritchie, as the camera moves in time with the fighters as if it’s another participant in the brawl.
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2 The Remake Has Bigger Action Scenes
Road House isn’t just about bar fights
The remake of Road House has a much larger budget than the original, and this is reflected in its biggest action set pieces. The UFC fight and Knox’s chaotic introduction to the Road House, with his golf club swinging away, are examples of how the remake takes its fights to the next level. The original is still a viscerally shocking depiction of violence, but the remake is bigger and louder, especially with the scenes that take place outside the bar.
Road House is most famous for its bar fights, but the original movie also features motorcycle chases, explosions and burning buildings. The remake steps things up with even more hard-hitting action. The climactic boat chase ends with Brandt being catapulted onto the roof of the bar, and then Knox rams a truck through the front doors. Aside from this carnage, Road House also features a car tumbling off a bridge and Dalton’s car getting sideswiped by a train. All of these scenes contribute to the huge spectacle of the movie.
1 Jake Gyllenhaal Delivers A Superb Performance
Gyllenhaal gives the action thriller his total commitment
Jake Gyllenhaal’s remarkable physical transformation highlights how he dives into the role of Elwood Dalton. Gyllenhaal is in superhero shape in Road House, and he doesn’t look out of place in a shirtless brawl with Conor McGregor. This may be the most immediately obvious example of Gyllenhaal’s commitment to the role, but his entire performance is what helps carry the movie. Road House is primarily about adrenaline-fueled bar fights, sure, but it’s also a portrait of a broken man learning to forgive himself.
Jake Gyllenhaal resembles Patrick Swayze’s stoic demeanor in the original, but his backstory and the little touches of pathos make his Dalton a character who is easier to root for. Behind Dalton’s eyes lies the ongoing tension between his darkest thoughts and his desire to simply help people and relax. Road House is unlikely to reach the same level of critical acclaim as films like Brokeback Mountain and Zodiac, but it could come to be seen as one of Jake Gyllenhaal’s best movies, thanks largely to a performance that combines hair-raising action with emotional depth.