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| Images courtesy of Amazon Studios |
Doug Liman's Road House is more of a spiritual
successor than a remake, a madcap reflection of the genre fusing original born
into the cinematic world of (regrettably) digital streaming with a pastel
umbilical cord and an arsenal of tiny umbrellas. Hitting on many of the
expected touchstones from the original while also becoming its own thing, this
is one of the more interesting studio cash ins on nostalgia in recent
memory. While it does not fully recreate the dark undertones, memorable
one lines, and essential musical moments, it distances itself from the past via
brutal fight scenes, gorgeous visuals, and one of the best performances of Jake
Gyllenhaal's storied career.
Elwood Dalton, a disgraced UFC fighter is conscripted as a bouncer for a bar in
the Florida Keys. As Dalton attempts to clean the place up, he becomes
embroiled in a criminal conspiracy that threatens to consume not only him, but
the entire town of Glass Key in fire and bloodshed. Anthony Bagarozzi and
Charles Mondry's script eschews the camp and near preternatural coolness of the
predecessor and replaces it with an unrelenting sense of fun. Gyllenhaal
has never been better, balancing violence, trauma, anger, and a surprising
amount of compassion to create a character that admittedly has more depth than
the persona of Dalton within this universe. The criminals are unusually polite
and when bad things eventually, inevitably happen, there is a sense of melancholy
underneath the Sex on the Beach veneer.
Connor McGregor stands opposite as Knox, a homicidal thug who is sent out into the sun-washed streets and neon nights to hunt Dalton. Their fight scenes are terrific, and despite the absolute menace and brutality that is displayed, there is always a telegraphed understanding that these two actors are having the time of their lives. This is also enhanced by Dayna Pink's tropically explosive costume design. While Dalton's various shirts are perfectly at ease within the Road House, it is Knox's euro-chick playboy ensembles that nearly steal the spotlight from the action and this only reinforces the almost Alice in Wonderland vibe of this film.
Ultimately, Road House stands on its own. It could have been titled anything and it would remain a solid action film with near fantastical elements of organized crime, dialogue, and carnage. However, being as it is a product of its hyperviolent forefather, the decision to dapple the optics with easter eggs and to deliver a post credits stinger that promises a franchise shows that homage need not always be cash grab, sometimes it can be loving tribute and, in this case, it can be a passing of the torch.
--Kyle Jonathan