Road House (2024)

Movie · 2024 · Action, Thriller, Drama · 2h 1m · R · English

Curator score: 1.2/10 (601.8K ratings)

Take it outside.

Overview

Ex-UFC fighter Dalton takes a job as a bouncer at a Florida Keys roadhouse, only to discover that this paradise is not all it seems.

Ratings

Director

Doug Liman

Production

Silver Pictures, Amazon MGM Studios

Cast

Jake Gyllenhaal, Conor McGregor, Billy Magnussen, Travis Van Winkle, Darren Barnet, Daniela Melchior, Jessica Williams, Joaquim de Almeida, Hannah Love Lanier, J. D. Pardo, Arturo Castro, B.K. Cannon, Post Malone, Lukas Gage, Dominique Columbus, Beau Knapp, Kevin Carroll, Bob Menery, Cesar Báez, Franklin Romero Jr.

Where to watch

Amazon Prime Video, Amazon Prime Video with Ads

Curator Review

Verdict

A glossy, knowingly ridiculous action remake that works best as a loud, self-aware hangout movie with bruising fights and a charismatic lead. It’s uneven and overlong, but if you want slick chaos, barroom mayhem, and a movie that leans into its own absurdity, it can be a good time.

Best for

  • Viewers who enjoy big, dumb, high-energy action movies
  • Fans of charismatic, smirking lead performances
  • People who like fight scenes with a playful, comic edge
  • Audiences open to a remake that prioritizes vibe over logic

Skip if

  • You want tight plotting or emotional depth
  • You dislike self-aware camp
  • You prefer grounded action over exaggerated violence
  • You’re expecting the original’s cult charm to be replicated exactly

Overview

Road House is the kind of movie that knows exactly what it is and still occasionally trips over its own swagger. Doug Liman stages the action with enough momentum to keep the movie moving, and Jake Gyllenhaal commits hard to a version of Dalton that is less zen drifter than roided-out chaos agent. The result is often silly, sometimes thrilling, and rarely boring.

Worth noting

What it lacks is restraint. The story is thin, the dialogue is blunt to the point of parody, and the film keeps stretching beyond the amount of material it has. But the bar fights, the Florida Keys setting, and the general sense of unruly excess give it a scrappy, watchable energy.

Bottom line

This is not a remake that improves on the original so much as one that retools it into a modern, self-mocking action vehicle. If you’re in the mood for something loud, absurd, and intermittently very funny, it lands. If you want coherence or charm in the classic sense, it probably won’t.

Top Letterboxd reviews

George Carmi (2.5★) · 4480 likes

The most unserious film that'll be released all year (compliment).

cob (3★) · 4297 likes

i miss when jake gyllenhaal played weird little freaks

Framesofnick (2★) · 2046 likes

That was a movie for sure

Sethsreviews (3★) · 1836 likes

Chaotic nonsensical violence shown through a dizzying lens, a narrative that digs no further than the surface, woefully spoon-fed dialogue, and a delightfully idiotic Conor McGregor performance—a load of meaningless fun! I can’t believe that I enjoyed this. Couldn’t stop laughing during every ridiculous fight sequence. It's too long and sometimes lacks direction, but I'd be lying if I said it wasn't a jolly decent time. Definitely deserved to get a theatrical release, though. What a silly film.

noen (3★) · 1757 likes

So to get slapped by Jake Gyllenhaal you just need to create a mess in a bar? Sign me up! (Please, Mr. Gyllenhaal, don't break the hyoid bone in my throat)

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Topics

action thriller, remake, campy, violent, Florida Keys, bar fights, brooding antihero, crime, self-aware, 2020s

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