In actuality, the Road House remake is a lot of fun

The new version of Road House, directed by Doug Liman, falls short of the original in terms of quality. The plot remains similar but with some significant changes - the new Dalton is a former mixed martial arts fighter and the nightclub is now located in the Florida Keys, renamed Road House Afdah. The power struggle of the past is replaced by a boring eviction attempt by a mafia real estate project resembling gentrification. The protagonist's identity trauma is now linked to an Ultimate Fighting Championship fight where James kills his rival. Tilghman is now Frankie, a black woman who hires Dalton to expel thugs working for Ben Brandt, a rich man looking to demolish the bar and build a luxury resort. However, things take an unexpected turn when the villain's father, still in prison, hires another psychopath to kill Dalton due to his romantic interest in doctor Ellie, the daughter of a sheriff working for Brandt.

Gyllenhaal plays Elwood Dalton, a former UFC star struggling in the underground fight scene. His luck changes when Frankie offers him a job as head bouncer at The Road House in the Florida Keys. The change in setting from Jasper, Missouri to the Keys is visually stunning, thanks to cinematographer Henry Braham. However, the chemistry between Gyllenhaal and Melchior falls short. The main antagonist is Ben Brandt, who will stop at nothing to destroy The Road House. McGregor's character brings a new energy to the film, stealing scenes with his charisma and confidence.

There is no denying that the new Road House is superior to the previous film. We know we're in for something goofy and stupid because of that strange 1989 film, and the creators of this adaptation are astute enough to play right into our preconceptions. This is still absurd material, following a bar bouncer on his journey to confront his past, take down a criminal organization terrorizing the law-abiding citizens of his new community, and make the roughest saloon in town safe. The first movie's premise was a jumble of contradictory jokes, which at least made sense given that the protagonist was a patchwork of traits that changed to suit the demands of the story.

It's not the first time he's done that maneuver either, since his whole biography revolves around his avoiding violence, except when he doesn't, as he killed a man in the same manner once. The movie claimed it was "self-defense," but some strategies need enough work and focus to raise the possibility that there may be something, well, psychopathic, about them. What qualifies if severing a man's throat isn't one way? Still, that's more than enough to hit the original film's obvious target. This one is superior, not because it's better per se, but rather because it knows enough about itself to know that it's probably not going to be excellent. The screenplay by Charles Mondry and Anthony Bagarozzi is aware of some of the flaws and quirks in its predecessor and delicately pokes fun at them.