Road House

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)

Retard House and McGregor, walking like he’s got an empty Guinness bottle shoved up his anus, reigning as the king of his inmates. Thanks to the Florida climate and a bit of perspective, it’s somewhat bearable, but as soon as Dalton, with a Nobel Peace Prize in his shirt pocket, is cornered, the dumb action combined with the tragically comical CGI of Doug Liman's annoying guest gets tossed out the front door. After that, it just rolls around in the dust outside, in front of the mindrest of a Guilty Pleasure. However, it can’t desecrate the original B-movie adventure with bouncer Swayze, as even that was a fourth-rate establishment. (04/11/2024)

A nice action romp like in the old days. I haven't seen the original, so I'm not comparing, but I enjoyed it very much. Jake Gyllenhaal prepared really for the role, playing a big and likeable guy who comes to Florida to work as a bouncer in a famous bar with a problematic clientele. I used to work at a bar so I liked, and the setting of sunny Florida with all the Hawaiian shirts was top notch, I could totally see myself there, in fact the only thing missing was proper babes. I was surprised by the humour, some one-liners were very good (the guy with the broken arm was very cool). The film is spiced up nicely by the casting of Conor McGregor, who downright relishes his role as a psychopathic madman, and I wouldn't mind seeing him more often in similarly iconic villain roles. The fights are without editing, they're nicely gritty, and even if slightly digital, still very cool. I like this kind of movies, I had fun, I wasn't bored, this is a properly manly and light-hearted film in a nice setting. They could release genre films like this on stream more often. 7/10. (03/21/2024)

Yes, I was expecting a classic '90s B-movie where I could turn off all brain activity. However, the film still disappointed me a bit. Jake Gyllenhaal put in a lot of effort, but he didn’t quite fit the lead role for me. I probably prefer seeing him in more nuanced films. The story is incredibly cliché, really lacking any surprises (the romantic subplot was pushed much more forcefully compared to the original). And yes, Conor McGregor is amusing when he first appears, but his theatricality and lack of acting talent become tiresome after a while. At least the final fight was satisfying and met the highest standards. The original version with Swayze was honestly a bit more entertaining for me. I give Doug Liman's version 5/10. (05/12/2024)

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)