‘Roadhouse’ Review: More Fizzle Than Sizzle In Liman’s Remake Of Action Classic – SXSW

In the era of action films like John Wick, the bar for adrenaline-fueled entertainment has been set high, and there exists a fine line in the world of cinematic remakes that one has to draw between regard for the original and fresh perspectives. Doug Liman directs the remake of the classic 1989 film Roadhouse, which premiered in the Headliner category at the 2024 SXSW film festival and unfortunately, this remake starring Jake Gyllenhaal, delivers a lackluster and ultimately unnecessary retread of the 1989 Patrick Swayze film.

Central to the movie is Jake Gyllenhaal’s Dalton, a former UFC brawler grappling with his past, assumes the role of a bouncer in Glass Keys at The RoadHouse. Struggling to get by on his once reputation, Dalton catches the eye of Frankie (Jessica Williams), who owns a roadhouse in the picturesque Florida Keys. She recruits him as her new bouncer, aiming to protect her cherished establishment from a ruthless gang under the command of the criminal overlord, Brandt (Billy Magnussen). 

Despite being outnumbered five to one, Dalton’s formidable abilities mean Brandt’s henchmen stand little chance against him. However, the plot thickens with the entry of Knox (Conor McGregor), a merciless mercenary. The ensuing violent confrontations and the spiral of bloodshed turn the idyllic Keys into a battleground, presenting Dalton with challenges far beyond anything he encountered in the Octagon.

The setting—full of promise for a formidable narrative, driven by powerful conflict and redemption—becomes the background for a film surprisingly void of the action and intensity its premise promises. The few fighting scenes that are shown are technically dazzling by Lyman’s deft direction but too infrequent to either provoke or be interesting to the audience. Added to the insult is a script that relies very heavily on dialogue, with every attempt at humor that doesn’t register after its predecessor had managed such an effortlessly charming and witty original. 

Gyllenhaal is here thrown in the role of navigating a character who—despite a backstory crafted for complexity—came across one-dimensionally. Not for the want of trying on Gyllenhaal’s part, but rather the result of a script that never digs deep enough for the audience to fully explore or exploit the depth of Dalton’s inner turmoil. The result is a performance that feels removed from the emotional stakes at play and makes Dalton more of a caricature than a three-dimensional figure.  The supporting cast is a clearly talented bunch but serves to be grossly underserved by the script. They are mostly reduced to plot devices, or in the best light, foils for Dalton’s journey. Connor McGregor’s character gets it the worst with the cartoonish silliness of Yosamite Sam, with none of the charisma. 

Moreover, the narrative itself is a shadow of its former self. The original film had a current of philosophical musings about violence, redemption, and the community coming together that set it above boilerplate action. The updated version is just a run-of-the-mill action flick that follows a hunky hero that saves the day. By today’s standards, that isn’t enough because we now live in an era when action had been reborn with films that blended kinetic spectacle with rich storytelling, 

As Liman, and screenwriters Anthony Bagarozzi, Charles Mondry navigate the waters of remaking a film like Roadhouse, it illustrates precisely what is at stake in these kinds of endeavors. While it strives to pay respects to its source material, it really doesn’t come close to bringing anything as satisfying as the original—or bringing something to the table, really, that would at least make a person think there was a reason for the movie to exist. In spite of a few flashes of technical brilliance in its action sequences and a few tries made by its cast, it stands as something of a living testament to just how difficult it is to capture lightning in a bottle.