Road House movie review: Jake Gyllenhaal pulls all the punches in this surprisingly fun remake | Hollywood

How long will it take to give more credit to the actor that is Jake Gyllenhaal? The actor always steps up when necessary and, more than that, elevates everything he touches. The same goes for his new film Road House, in which he plays Elwood Dalton, a former UFC fighter hired to clean up messes at a bar. (Also Read: Motherboard Review: The Portrait of a Single Mother’s Decade-Spanning Journey with Her Son is an Absolute Gem)

The premise

He cleans up, more than is expected of him – both as a character and an actor. Dalton asks, before attacking the tough guys: “Do you have insurance?” He then helps them understand that he wasn’t joking, by crushing them to the ground like fruit pulp. To go even further, Dalton even drives them to the nearest hospital. Played by a very muscular Jake Gyllenhaal, he is reticent and matter-of-fact in his approach, feeling his way through life without much to reveal.

The actor headlines this witty remake of the much-loved 1989 film Road House, directed by Rowdy Herrington. It was more or less the same story, where the bouncer was played by Patrick Swayze. The updated version, directed by Doug Liman, which has now made its way to Prime Video, has none of that brawn. Rather, he’s surprisingly restrained in his approach, throwing his punch with plenty of sophisticated humor. That works.

We first meet Dalton preparing for an illegal fight, when he is approached by a bar owner (Jessica Williams) who offers to come help him clean up some of the unruly mess. The money seems good enough, so off he goes – easily pleasant in his lonely smile, befriending the locals and teaching some bad boys how well his punches can stick.

The first half is light and surprisingly fun, mainly due to Gyllenhaal’s treatment and stylish performance at center. Problems begin to arise with the entrance of a rich villain and the ultimate big enemy in the form of Knox, who is played by real-life MMA star Conor McGregor. He’s the one with the gift for chaos, and McGregor steals the show in quite a few scenes as the over-the-top villain, providing the much-needed goofy line readings for his part. As predictable as it may seem, it turns out that a lot more violence lies ahead. If only the resident crocodile was used a little more!

Final Thoughts

Road House is honest about its obviousness and delivers well-choreographed action sequences. The supporting cast and their dynamics are some of the false notes that needed some work. Furthermore, the archetypal troubled past of the protagonist tends to increase the demands of the second half. Yet Gyllenhaal manages to bring a lot more to his testosterone-charged figure, which saves the day and ultimately makes up for a surprisingly fun and absorbing remake for this generation.

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