Dave Bautista is circling a role in the ‘Road House’ sequel.
Jake Gyllenhaal will be back as Dalton.
Guy Ritchie’s directing.
We’re starting to learn more about the follow-up to last year’s ‘Road House’ remake, which saw Jake Gyllenhaal as a former MMA brawler who turned his skills to stopping drunken rumbles at the titular locale.
Gyllenhaal will be back, of course, and this time around, Guy Ritchie will be the one calling the shots (and the pints, presumably, since it’s set at a bar).
The 1989 original, directed by Rowdy Herrington, starred Patrick Swayze in the story of a roadside dive called The Double Deuce, a sleazy music joint in the small town of Jasper, Missouri, “the kind of place where they sweep up the eyeballs after closing”.
The owner, tired of his place being wrecked by muscle-bound “power drinkers” and provocative bimbos, hires the best bouncer in the business (Swayze’s Dalton) to cool things down. Famously, he starts off charming but doesn’t hesitate to take extreme throat-ripping measures when pushed to his limit.
For the 2024 re-invention, Gyllenhaal took on the slightly adjusted role of Dalton, this time a former UFC fighter looking to find new meaning in his life who finds work as a bouncer at a property owned by Frankie (Jessica Williams).
Anthony Bagarozzi & Charles Mondry wrote the new movie took place at a rough-and-tumble roadhouse in the Florida Keys, but “soon discovers that not everything is what it seems in this tropical paradise.”
Directing that one was Doug Liman, and behind-the-scenes drama, as producer Joel Silver was removed for aggressive behavior, Liman denounced the plan to release the movie direct to streaming (he’s since made peace with the idea) and a lawsuit from the writer of the original that claimed the new movie was simply a grab at keeping the IP.
Still, the movie became a big hit for Amazon, drawing 2.3 million households between March 21st, which is when it was added to the Prime Video library, and March 24th.
At Amazon’s Upfront presentation last May –– where it promotes its upcoming movies and shows to advertisers to encourage them to purchase pricey spots on its service –– the company announced that a ‘Road House’ sequel was in the early stages of development.
This is what Amazon film boss Jennifer Salke said at the event:
“As we saw this spring the world went crazy for a little movie called ‘Road House’. Nearly 80 million viewers globally have watched ‘Road House.’ We like to watch this these results like a baby.”
Will Beall is at work on the script for the sequel, which is a mystery for now –– though a mid-credits scene in the 2024 movie showed Conor McGregor’s villain Knox wreaking havoc at a hospital and escaping unscathed, so presumably that rematch is something that could well be picked up for the new movie.
There is no information yet as to a release date for the new movie.
But perhaps the more interesting question is, where will the ‘Road House’ movie be on screens? Given the success of the 2024 outing, there’s a big chance that Amazon could decide that the best place for a follow-up is to premiere right alongside it on the Prime Video streaming service.
But with the company’s much-vaunted commitment to theatrical releases, as touted during its CinemaCon presentation last week, perhaps having a Gyllenhaal movie in cinemas is no bad strategy –– especially if it drives people to then check out the movie on streaming. We’ve a feeling, though, that it’ll be the former option.
Guy Ritchie has agreed to direct the ‘Road House’ sequel.
Jake Gyllenhaal will be back as Dalton.
Amazon MGM Studios is once more backing the movie.
There is increasing evidence that filmmaker Guy Ritchie has either cracked the secret of cloning, owns one of the Time-Turners from ‘Harry Potter’ or has simply given up on the idea of sleep or seeing his family.
This is, after all, the man who directed five films in the last four years, and has three films potentially set for release this year (‘Fountain of Youth,’ ‘Wife & Dog,’ and ‘In the Grey’), and that’s before mentioning the Paramount+ series ‘MobLand,’ which recently started streaming, and ‘The Gentlemen,’ renewed for season 2 at Netflix.
And if all that wasn’t enough, he’s also taking on another assignment, as Puck and World of Reel have confirmed that Ritchie will be behind the camera for Amazon MGM’s sequel to 2024’s ‘Road House’ remake, which will once again star Jake Gyllenhaal.
The 1989 original, directed by Rowdy Herrington, starred Patrick Swayze in the story of a roadside dive called The Double Deuce, a sleazy music joint in the small town of Jasper, Missouri, “the kind of place where they sweep up the eyeballs after closing”.
The owner, tired of his place being wrecked by muscle-bound “power drinkers” and provocative bimbos, hires the best bouncer in the business (Swayze’s Dalton) to cool things down. Famously, he starts off charming but doesn’t hesitate to take extreme throat-ripping measures when pushed to his limit.
For the 2024 re-invention, Gyllenhaal took on the slightly adjusted role of Dalton, this time a former UFC fighter looking to find new meaning in his life who finds work as a bouncer at a property owned by Frankie (Jessica Williams).
Anthony Bagarozzi & Charles Mondry wrote the new movie took place at a rough-and-tumble roadhouse in the Florida Keys, but “soon discovers that not everything is what it seems in this tropical paradise.”
Directing that one was Doug Liman, and behind-the-scenes drama, as producer Joel Silver was removed for aggressive behavior, Liman denounced the plan to release the movie direct to streaming (he’s since made peace with the idea) and a lawsuit from the writer of the original that claimed the new movie was simply a grab at keeping the IP.
Still, the movie became a big hit for Amazon, drawing 2.3 million households between March 21st, which is when it was added to the Prime Video library, and March 24th.
At Amazon’s Upfront presentation last May –– where it promotes its upcoming movies and shows to advertisers to encourage them to purchase pricey spots on its service –– the company announced that a ‘Road House’ sequel was in the early stages of development.
This is what Amazon film boss Jennifer Salke said at the event:
“As we saw this spring the world went crazy for a little movie called ‘Road House’. Nearly 80 million viewers globally have watched ‘Road House.’ We like to watch this these results like a baby.”
Ritchie certainly feels like the right person to handle this, as he’s used to tough-guy movies that have a little more going on under the surface.
And he and Gyllenhaal have a prior working relationship –– the actor starred in the director’s 2023 war movie ‘The Covenant’ and they’ve reunited for this year’s ‘In the Grey,’ which sees two extraction specialists having to chart a route of escape for a senior female negotiator.
Actor Jake Gyllenhaal (left) and director Guy Ritchie (right) on the set of ‘The Covenant,’ a Metro Goldwyn Mayer Pictures film. Credit: Christopher Raphael / Metro Goldwyn Mayer Pictures.
Given the subject matter and the established connection between director and star, hopes are likely high that things will go much more smoothly this time around.
Will Beall is at work on the script for the sequel, which is a mystery for now –– though a mid-credits scene in the 2024 movie showed Conor McGregor’s villain Knox wreaking havoc at a hospital and escaping unscathed, so presumably that rematch is something that could well be picked up for the new movie.
As for other cast members? No word yet on returning veterans or newcomers.
There is no information yet as to a release date for the new movie.
But perhaps the more interesting question is, where will the ‘Road House’ movie be on screens? Given the success of the 2024 outing, there’s a big chance that Amazon could decide that the best place for a follow-up is to premiere right alongside it on the Prime Video streaming service.
But with the company’s much-vaunted commitment to theatrical releases, as touted during its CinemaCon presentation last week, perhaps having a Gyllenhaal movie in cinemas is no bad strategy –– especially if it drives people to then check out the movie on streaming. We’ve a feeling, though, that it’ll be the former option.
Despite being beloved now, the original ‘Road House’ was not a great movie. Really, it was a “so bad its good” movie and has since become a nostalgic classic thanks mostly to Patrick Swayze’s bizarrely serious performance in a film that didn’t deserve that much effort. So, what happens when you remake an essentially bad movie? You just get another bad movie!
Removing all the mystery behind the character of Dalton, his Eastern philosophy, and the unintentional humor, the result is a paint-by-numbers action film that never really works on any other level. Despite some unique direction in the fight scenes from filmmaker Doug Liman, and a charming and strong performance from Jake Gyllenhaal, ‘Road House’ will leave viewers unsatisfied and longing for the silliness of the original.
The movie begins by introducing us to the character of Elwood Dalton (adding a new first name for the remake), played by Jake Gyllenhaal. Dalton is a down-on-his-luck ex-UFC fighter who accidentally killed an opponent in the ring, and now cannot get anyone to fight him. He soon meets Frankie (Jessica Williams), who owns a bar in the Florida Keys called “The Road House.” (Yes, that’s now the name of the bar and its never really explained why.) Some locals are causing trouble, and she hires Dalton, who unlike the original has no experience bouncing, to clean up her establishment.
Upon his arrival, Dalton befriends a young girl named Charlie (Hannah Love Lanier) and her father, as well as some of the other Road House employees and a local doctor named Ellie (Daniel Melchoir), who he begins a relationship with. After expelling some of the riff raff from the bar, Dalton discovers that rich businessman Ben Brandt (Billy Magnussen) is behind the trouble and is trying to get Frankie to sell him the bar so he can tear it down and build a luxury hotel. Having his hands full with Dalton, Brandt hires a madman named Knox (played by real UFC fighter Conor McGregor) to take him out.
The updates to the story only work to eliminate any of the humor and charm of the original movie and make this a more standard action movie. Dalton’s UFC background is an interesting 2024 addition, but completely strips Dalton of the mystery that made the character interesting in the first place. In 1989’s ‘Road House,’ Patrick Swayze’s Dalton was a professional bouncer, and had a philosophy (“Be Nice”) that formed his personality. He was also a mysterious character, with no first name, no home to call his own and a sorted past. The new film tries to establish itself as a modern Western but fails on many levels.
While I liked the idea of adding the UFC background, it doesn’t work and strips the character of everything that made him unique in the original. If director Doug Liman wanted to make a movie about an ex-UFC fighter troubled by what happened in the ring, he should have just made that movie and left the ‘Road House’ franchise alone. Again, it’s not like the original was some great movie no one should touch, but if you are going to remake it, try to include some of what made the first movie popular over the decades.
I will give Liman credit for some fun and exciting fight sequences, both in the ring and out. For Dalton’s UFC flashback scenes, (and again, we don’t want to know about Dalton’s past, we want it to be a mystery, but I digress) Liman wisely shot during a real UFC fight and those scenes were excellent. Liman has the camera right in the ring and you feel every punch and kick. The fight scenes in the bar are great too, especially when Dalton and Knox face off. Liman uses a Steadicam for those sequences and rarely cuts, giving off the illusion of one long take. But there are other fight sequences that seemed more contrived, like when Dalton first fights the bikers, in a very ‘Jack Reacher,’ “Are you sure you want to do this” type of way.
This movie belongs to Jake Gyllenhaal, as he’s the only one giving a decent performance. While I don’t agree with many of the changes that they made to the character and the story, you can’t help but root for Gyllenhaal’s Dalton. The actor captures much of the charm and charisma that Swayze had in the original, while also being physically believable.
We’ve seen the actor physically transform before, playing a boxer in the excellent ‘Southpaw,’ so his action scenes are completely believable. Now, I expect that in real life Gyllenhaal would be no match for Conor McGregor, but you do think that while outmatched, Dalton does have a chance against Knox, and that is because Gyllenhaal is so believable in the role.
Speaking of McGregor, he’s also fun in the movie thanks to his wild character and performance. Physically, he is exactly the type of person you need in a movie like this, and he is clearly having fun playing his cartoonish yet dangerous character.
Daniela Melchior plays Ellie, Dalton’s love interest, a role played by Kelly Lynch in the original. Melchior is a great actress and was excellent in ‘The Suicide Squad,’ but is let down here by the screenplay. She has nice chemistry with Gyllenhaal, but is never really allowed to explore it, not in the way Swayze and Lynch did in the original and their relationship is never established enough to work when the script needs it to in the final act.
In fact, all the female roles are underwritten, which was disappointing to say the least. The role of Frankie the bar owner was gender-swapped from the original, but Jessie Williams is given almost nothing to do but recruit Dalton and seems to disappear halfway through the film. They hint at an attraction between Dalton and Frankie, but that is never explored.
Even Hannah Love Lanier’s Charlie is not given enough to do. Dalton makes a connection with her early in the film only to give the bad guys leverage against him in the third act. She basically disappears through the course of the movie as well, and I would have liked to have explored that character and her relationship to Dalton more.
‘No Time to Die’s Billy Magnussen plays Ben Brandt, which is the remake’s version of Brad Wesley, the villain in the original played by legendary Hollywood actor Ben Gazzara. I have to say that I don’t understand the need to make this a younger character. Brandt never gets into a physical fight with Dalton (although even Gazzara and Swayze had a fight scene in the original), so why the character was made younger, I have no idea? But it doesn’t work.
Instead of playing an older former mob boss who controls the town with his power, Brandt is instead the son of an imprisoned mob boss, trying to run his father’s crime family how he sees fit while still looking for daddy’s approval. The result is a crybaby of a villain that you neither fear nor care about. Magnussen does his best with the poorly written role, chewing up some scenery, but it never really amounts to much on screen.
To be fair, ‘Road House’ is at times just as dumb and fun as the original, but that’s not saying much. Gyllenhaal’s performance is solid, but the actor deserved a better script. The action sequences are good, thanks to Liman’s camera work and Gyllenhaal and McGregor’s performances, but the poor script, focus on the UFC, and nonsensical changes from the original, strip the movie of any originality, mystery or silly fun that we may expect from the franchise.
‘Road House’ receives 4.5 out of 10 stars.
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What is the Plot of ‘Road House’?
A former UFC middleweight fighter (Jake Gyllenhaal) ends up working at a roadhouse in the Florida Keys where things are not as they seem.
