The new version of Martin Scorsese's "Road House", directed by Doug Liman, feels more like a mixture of a Western and a cartoon show than anything else. Reimagining the 1989 Patrick Swayze classic, this version straddles the line between B-movie aesthetics and bigger-budget expectations. For the first hour, the film presents a fun and slightly absurd tone that pulls the audience along through a slew of vibrant fight scenes. However, as the story develops, the film slowly starts to take itself too seriously, with plot twists that feel forced and excessive CGI that takes away from the film's physicality.
Jake Gyllenhaal plays ex-champ Elwood Dalton, hired by bar-owner Frankie (Jessica Williams) to protect her roadhouse in Florida from local hoodlums. Soon, Dalton gets entrenched in a larger conflict, taking on a notorious real estate tycoon, Ben Brandt (Billy Magnussen), and a sociopath called Knox, played by real-life UFC star Conor McGregor.
While Conor McGregor’s insertion into the latter part of the film provides a jolt of energy, it's his performance that confuses the most. Seemingly lost between delivering a purposeful portrayal of a psychotic villain or simply struggling to act, McGregor's presence doesn't always gel with the rest of the movie.
The film seems split in two - one half is Gyllenhaal's story of a haunted former fighter forced into action while the other features exaggerated villains played by Magnussen and McGregor. The balance between these two halves fails to align, leaving the audience with a disjointed experience. In comparison to the classic ‘80s movies, this reboot lacks the weighty feel of serious action-drama and leans more toward ridiculous, overblown imagery.
The film premiered on Prime Video on March 21 after being screened at the SXSW Film Festival.
