Rent Road House on Amazon Video (paid link)
Written by: Anthony Bagarozzi & Chuck Mondry (screenplay by), Anthony Bagarozzi, Chuck Mondry and David Lee Henry (story by), David Lee Henry and Hilary Henkin (based on the motion picture "Road House" screenplay by), David Lee Henry (based on the motion picture "Road House" story by)
Directed by: Doug Liman
Starring: Jake Gyllenhaal, Daniela Melchior, Conor McGregor, Billy Magnussen, Jessica Williams, Post Malone, JD Pardo, Beau Knapp
Rated: R
Watch the trailer
Plot
Ex-UFC fighter Dalton takes a job as a bouncer at a Florida Keys roadhouse, only to discover that this paradise is not all it seems.
Verdict
This is completely over the top with strangely comedic villains. That's the goal. This wants to be a play on the Western where the sardonic hero rides into town to save everyone. While Gyllenhaal makes this watchable, he doesn't manage to make it worth watching. That is unless you want a mindless brawler. You'll definitely get that. The fights really aren't bad, but this is lacks story.
Skip it.
Review
This opens in an underground fighting ring. Dalton (Jake Gyllenhaal) steps into the ring and the current winner flees stating there is no way he'll fight that guy. The movie certainly sets Dalton up as super tough. At one point he's walking around with a knife in his gut like it's a routine annoyance. While he's duct taping the wound, he's offered a big pay day if he'll act as a bouncer. It seems like an easy job for someone with few prospects but he refuses. Who is he and why is everyone so afraid?
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| Jake Gyllenhaal plays Dalton |
When his car breaks down, in laughable fashion, he decides to head to Florida and take the job. He hangs out in the bar on his first day. I'm surprised no one said anything. That night his audition arrives. Dell (JD Pardo) and his gang arrive to harass the bar. That's their routine and the cops won't do anything about it. I don't know how this bar stays in business when people come in to smash things seemingly every night. Wouldn't they run out of glasses at some point? Do they have a storage room full of tables and chairs?
Dalton is prepared to fight them, asking them if they have insurance. He's strangely courteous. Of course he wins easily and even drives them to the hospital. Why? I think the movie just wants him to be funny. Dalton is a troubled fighter, and the movie teases his past nearly the entire run time.
The villain, Brandt (Billy Magnussen) is one dimensional and just ridiculous. In his first scene, a barber is shaving him as they're on a moving boat. Brandt is mad at both the barber and ship's captain for the less than smooth ride. It's inane, but if he had yelled at the ocean at least it would be completely clear we're dealing with a petulant child pretending to be a movie villain. If we're going to go, go all the way.
To pad the runtime, Dalton also befriends a teenager that works at a bookstore. This aids character and plot development. It also makes us wonder why Dalton claims to be such a bad guy when he seems so nice and what's in his past. As a character points out, Dalton is a send up of the Western genre. He's riding into town to save the townspeople. I like the tone of the movie as it does have a bit of fun. Dalton, always ready with a witty one liner, is the ultimate fighter that can't lose. He beats up the local gang and he's a local celebrity.
I wondered how McGregor would be in this. He's even more of a cartoon than Brandt. He regularly crashes into trees to stop his car. This movie is over the top, and that's the intention. Everyone is ridiculous. You can already guess who'll be in the final fight. It's absolutely brutal, but the fight is also better than I thought it would be.
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