Post by PhantomKnight on Apr 10, 2024 18:44:46 GMT -5
So, it's been a few years since I've seen the original Road House, but I remember it being a mostly fun experience that maybe ran out of steam somewhere near the end. And my experience with this new reinterpretation of it is pretty similar, but again, I can't deny that I had a pretty good time with it overall. Whereas the '89 movie was pure action cheese so thick that you could spread it on a cracker, Doug Liman's movie is one that tries to replicate that feeling within a modern context. The results can come off pretty mixed on average, but I'll tell you what -- there's a number of times during this movie where I was either grinning or laughing, genuinely so, at just how much it was embracing its intended tone. A lot of that is owed to the naturally magnetic and charismatic performance of Jake Gyllenhaal, who's dialed at the right level here. His Dalton character has the same kind of natural likability as Patrick Swayze from the original, but also an underlying darkness that comes into play during the second half and gives him an enticingly different angle to play with in the second half. On the other hand, you've also got Conor Mcgregor playing the main muscular henchman baddie and, while the movie knows to use him in measured doses, the fact of the matter is that he's still not a good actor, and a lot of his choices here alternate between kinda working and just plain awkward. But he and Doug Liman make up for it with the action, which is legitimately entertaining and even blood-pumping at times, while using some nice flourishes like POV shots and nifty camera movies. The tone and the action are what we come to a Road House movie for at the end of the day, and those deliver. How's the story? Honestly, it's whatever and could've mainly used some trimming up in a few places and maybe some deeper investment. But, really, who asks "How's the story?" of a Road House movie, anyway? But at the end of the day, you'll get what you came to this movie for, which is enough reason to hang out and have a good time.
**1/2 /****
