So... the Road House remake. Am I allowed to say that I liked it as much as the original? I only saw the Swayze one for the first time last year and really enjoyed, but I also really dug Doug Liman's recent update with Jake Gyllenhaal too, for different reasons. Jake himself is one of those reasons, he's breezy and effervescent as Dalton, disgraced ex MMA fighter relocated to the beautiful Florida Keys to defend a beachfront bar from relentless goons. The Keys setting is also another reason why I liked this a lot, it adds so much laidback atmosphere and picturesque scenery as backdrop for this simple, straightforward action flick that fills the shoes of the original adequately enough. I think that having a marauding meathead like Conor McGregor as the head goon was a bit of a misstep though; the guy is clearly not an actor and thinks he'll win over the screen by chewing more scenery than Gary Busey, but a modicum of restraint on his part might have kept his performance this side of the moon in terms of subtlety, and let other aspects flourish to the forefront. Sultry Daniela Melchior, smarmy Billy Magnusson and always terrific Joaquim De Almeida are good in supporting roles. I really liked Jake's performance here though; he adopts this laconic affability that hides a sickening darkness in his past, something he's always on the run from. The action is fearsome and often quite funny, the tone tropical and easygoing. My only gripe is it could have been a bit longer to flesh certain elements out and focused on Mcgregor's seething villain a tad less to pivot more over to other aspects the film has that it seemed to want to take more seriously. All in all a really good time and easily as enjoyable for me as the OG Roadhouse.
Review of Road House
