Road House is a rendition of the original 1989 film for the modern era that manages to have enough callbacks and make it its own thing for the current generation… and what better way than to put this out on streaming. I am sure it will be a big hit on the platform, but the latest version would have been amazing on a theatrical run before streaming. This version follows Elwood Dalton (Jake Gyllenhaal), a troubled ex-UCF fighter who ends up taking a job as a bouncer at a Florida Keys roadhouse, only to discover that this paradise is not all it seems.

I only saw the original when I was much younger as my father had it his collection of 80’s VHS tapes. I enjoyed it at that time and could see why it became such a beloved classic. To me, it’s okay to have self-aware action films as long as they do it right, and the best way to get it right is with the lead. Patrick Swayze was charismatic in the role, and Gyllenhaal matches the same level of charisma. I am surprised by Gyllenhaal’s talent, because it seems like he doesn’t pit himself in a box with his talent. While I prefer his Nightcrawler era the most, there’s no denying that he is continuously pushing himself in any role that he is in. If there’s one thing he is known for in his roles, it’s for his charisma, so I don’t think there’s any other better person to pull this film off.

Between Gyllenhaal & director Doug Liman, I was certainly confused as to why they felt the need to reimagine a classic. After viewing the film, I think their work is to show how to get a remake right. The film isn’t perfect, but it’s entertaining enough that makes the original live on, and hopefully, make viewers who haven’t seen the original want to see it. While this version has many throwbacks to the original, this film also stands out well on its own between its location, cast, and action (for the most part).

One of the biggest problems with the film is certainly with its overabundance of characters. The film’s beginning proves my point with Austin Post (Post Malone) in a ring fighting for only that segment, which proves my point that the marketing capitalizes strongly on its cast in the hopes of making people watch. The cast is very good & charming, yet there is way too many supporting characters that not only make the film feel much longer than it needs to be. While everyone is good, I often find myself forgetting about certain characters by the end when their “conclusions” are shown. This only goes to show that the film works best if you are in the right mindset, which is to understand the craziness of it all and to just have fun. It’s something that is rarely done. I can believe if the film does well for Prime Video, but this would have done very well in theaters.

Mentioning of crazy, I am surprised by the level of action. The action is great, and Jake Gyllenhaal makes it look so easy. At first, I would say the action plays it a bit safe. That is until the action is taking up a notch with camera work and visuals reminiscent of Fast & Furious, which is funny since there are at least three actors from that franchise in this film. There’s a particular segment that takes place on a bridge that proves my point, yet that’s also where the film’s flaws start to begin. I even had to rewind a bit of that segment because I couldn’t believe someone could survive what happen. If you can turn your brain off during those moments, I’m sure you’ll have a great time.

Mentioning of the visuals, when you take the editing into consideration, the film is a bit of a mess. There’s a scene where Gyllenhaal breaks someone’s figure who is threatening to shoot him. Once again, I had to rewind that I wasn’t being gaslit that this scene is sloppily edited. On a technical level, it is very amateurish and proves that maybe this shouldn’t have been on streaming for the sake of people having to go back and make sure they saw what they saw. There is another scene involving Gyllenhaal & his lover interest, Ellie (Daniela Melchior) at a beach. The camera work and the way this segment is especially nauseating. Scenes like this show that people thought it might look cool, instead of just creating something simple that viewers could enjoy.

On a much more positive note overall, the film is at its best when the charisma & self-awareness works. Besides a few weird visuals, the action for the most part is impressive and caught my attention. Conor McGregor is surprisingly electrifying, and I wouldn’t mind more of him in the future in these type of roles. JD Pardo plays a bit of what he has done before, but he plays into well enough to show why he is one of the most underrated actors out there.

Overall, Road House is at its best when its self-aware and double down’s on what works. It’s better than expected. As much as I wouldn’t mind watching this again, I wished I could see this in theaters. If the right person is reading this, we, the people, need this in theaters! This is the right film to remake for the modern generation that will make viewers yearn for what inspired the film to begin with.

VERDICT: Pretty Good