Road House

Doug Liman made an 80's B movie for fun and they wouldn't even let him put it in theaters! A smiling Jake Gyllenhaal hurting bad people and obviously having an incredible time doing it. Conor McGregor is perfect as the evil, disagreeable asshole. The romance line works, the cast is likeable. Definitely could have used a little trimming, though, the middle drags a bit. The action is decent, the fights are oddly shot in places, but fine for me. The music is great and there are beautiful shots of the Florida Keys. I'll have to go there sometime. (03/24/2024)

An action-packed opening that invites a rough travel adventure. I enjoy films where the main characters explore unknown environments, especially when the lead is Jake Gyllenhaal, who knows how to deliver a punch. The tension and action scenes are great and entertaining. However, as soon as Conor McGregor appears, the film goes off the rails and takes a turn crazy similar to Fast & Furious. What a shame! (05/31/2024)

I love the original Road House. Strip it of the 80's charm, the sex appeal, the fighting philosophy, the brutality; swap the charmingly oblivious overkill for self-awareness, swap the practical effects for repulsive digital ones and you have the new Road House. The fact that this one had huge ratings is a testament to the lack of masculine films for contemporary audiences. I agree. But I also want it to be good and entertaining. (05/26/2024)

Doug Liman off the chain. A decently executed summer testosterone romp that's funny and manages to mix humour, self-parody and action, with a backdrop of the sun-drenched Keys at its back. A worthy remake to the awful original, plus an ensemble cast that has resuscitated Jake Gyllenhaal's action career (all honours to his physical form), and discovered the acting, or rather comedic, potential of Conor McGregor. It's a shame about some of the appallingly handled digital shots and botched editing, but within the context of an action flush with no higher ambitions, relative satisfaction. (04/07/2024)

Drenched in Florida sunshine, Road House is highly entertaining, testosterone-fuelled bullshit with the surprisingly cast Jake Gyllenhaal turning in another fine performance. Doug Liman helps Joel Silver update his eighties classic by dressing it up in the dynamic attire of music videos with intense fight scenes, but always with the detached humour of undemanding home VOD entertainment. The new Road House contains one psychologically effective scene (the dialogue in the bar teasing the main character’s trauma) and is more like an energetic punk comedy than a drama. Its most comical character is Gyllenhaal’s main adversary, the ultimate fighting machine Conor McGregor, who embodies bombastic, brainless macho cocksureness with mindless fury. An invitation to join the Fast & Furious crew is a certainty after this bold big-screen debut. (03/24/2024)