Doug Liman’s reboot of the cult classic 1989 action flick “Road House” streams on Prime on March 21, re-imagining the Patrick Swayze-starring flick about a bouncer who’s a “fighting philosopher,” starring Jake Gyllenhaal in the lead role.
Now the first rule of enjoying the new “Road House” is to try and forget about the old “Road House,” which has become a cult classic. Of course, you can always stream the original, directed by Rowdy Herrington, on Prime Video, Max and Showtime (or take in Andy’s re-creation of the climax in Season 4, Episode 20 of “Parks and Recreation” on Peacock). But you’ll have more fun taking the new film as its own thing, just borrowing the premise and title to create a new salty, sweaty, shaggy meathead classic. Remember, comparison is the thief of joy, and in this case, it’s apt.
It’s quite alright if “Road House” simply serves as a structure upon which to hang the specific persona of a movie star. In the original, Swayze was the soulful bard of the barroom brawl; in this new version, Gyllenhaal isn’t trying to be Swayze at all. His version of Dalton is a former MMA fighter who heads for a road house in the Keys at the behest of Frankie (Jessica Williams). He’s an odd duck, and Gyllenhaal leans into the quirky persona he’s honed over the past few years: a slightly unhinged, wide-eyed wild card.
Gyllenhaal may be a leading man with heartthrob looks, but he has gravitated toward more challenging and offbeat roles, starting with “Donnie Darko” in 2001 (streaming on Peacock, Tubi, Kanopy, Shudder and AMC+). But in the past few years, he’s amped up the action, and leaned further into strange and unpredictable characters.