Originally I was going to review the new 2024 Road House. But then I thought that perhaps I should watch the original first.
So this is a review by comparison. If you had to watch one, which one should it be? Even if like me you hadn’t seen the original first.
Because you see, if I’d seen the remake after the original, I would have known it was rubbish. Gyllenhaal is alright in an easy/breezy way with his puppy dog eyes and abs for days. But the film, bar a frankly ridiculous/horrendous stunt casting turn by Conor McGregor, is a nothing. There’s no character to it. Which in a vacuum is tolerable. But the original is absolutely choc-full of character; everyone is memorable, from the blind main singer to the antagonist’s right-hand man. When a guy says to another guy mid fight “I used to fuck guys like you in prison”, you know you’re onto a winner! It’s outrageous!
It’s hard to talk about the new version when the original oozes bonkers eighties silliness. Gyllenhaal’s character is given more backstory, but it’s all a bit pointless. Who cares about UFC when you could be ripping throat’s out or marvelling over Sam Elliott’s glorious hair and swagger.
Is the new film alright? Yeah. But if you’re going to watch one, watch Swayze (he’s cool as hell by the way).
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