Director Doug Liman’s “Road House” is a wild ride of fightin’, spittin’, cussin’, and bone snappin’, a testosterone-fueled muscle movie that’s perfect for a weekend stream. Taking a more dramatic angle with a drug and crime story, this re-imagining of the 80s cult classic still delivers plenty of action and entertainment, even if it lacks in originality and substance.
Trouble is brewing at a Florida Keys roadhouse, and proprieter Frankie (Jessica Williams) is desperate for some old fashioned law and order. The local police won’t help, so Frankie seeks out ex-UFC fighter Dalton (Jake Gyllenhaal) for the job. Down on his luck, he agrees to take the well paying gig in paradise. When he arrives, Dalton discovers that he’s stepped into a criminal underworld that’s darker and more serious than anticipated. One by one, he outsmarts and out muscles the seemingly endless line of bad guys that stand in his way.
The film works well because of its willingness to embrace its own over-the-top absurdity. Gyllenhaal plays Dalton with an authentic, rugged charm, taking his character seriously, but not overly so. He’s believable as a tough guy for hire who “hurts people for money,” and he lends a pedigree to an otherwise mindless piece of entertainment.
Conor McGregor is a lot of fun in his supporting role as Knox a worthy adversary to Dalton. Insane and unhinged, he feels like a ripoff of the Jason Momoa character Dante in “Fast X,” minus a bit of charm and acting talent.
The movie is over-the-top in a lot of ways, but the one thing that really bugged me is that early on, there’s a casual mention of a killer crocodile. This caused my mind to wander the whole movie, just waiting on the edge of my seat for Dalton to wrassle it (spoiler alert: I was so disappointed).
That’s not to say the movie isn’t corny, because it is. Those little touches of humor, the charismatic lead, brawny action sequences, and nods to classic muscle movies also make it wildly entertaining.
Let me put it this way: “Road House” ends with a clear set-up for a sequel that I wouldn’t necessarily be excited to see, but I’d definitely be first in line to buy a ticket.
