By Amazon premiered the much publicised remake of “Road House” at SXSW last night in Austin, and the screening made some headlines for both the right and wrong reasons.
On the one hand, the reception for the film was said to have gone swimmingly in the room even if some of the reviews so far have been more mixed/positive. On the other, the manager of the film’s co-star Conor McGregor reportedly passed out at the event from dehydration according to Deadline.
McGregor was reportedly seen staying behind at the Paramount Theatre to help his manager out before the EMT arrived. McGregor then went on to the afterparty.
Filmmaker Doug Liman directs this new version which follows a former UFC fighter (Jake Gyllenhaal) who takes a job as a bouncer at a rough-and-tumble roadhouse in the Florida Keys but soon discovers that not everything is what it seems in this tropical paradise.
Whilst a critics aggregate score has yet to be set, the first reviews are out online. Here’s a sampling of quotes:
“An infectiously stylish piece of slumming… staged with a verve and wit and dynamic grittiness that make the original film look even more rickety than it once did. The action is beyond brutal; at moments, it’s vicious. Liman and Gyllenhaal bring the pain, but they also make you feel it.” – Owen Gleiberman, Variety
“When Road House finds its own story, the film really takes off. The general narrative remains the same (this is still a campy adventure with minor-key humor and a host of lethal action sequences) but the details make good use of the new setting.” – Lovia Gyarkye, THR
“Liman’s rowdy, campy remake both looks and sounds more expensive and textured than what we’ve come to expect from digital releases. [It’s an] entertaining and visceral, if at times unwieldy, romp of scene-chewing trash talk and smackdowns.” – Adrian Horton, The Guardian
“Gyllenhaal manages to find nuance in what is, on paper, a fairly standard, testosterone-fuelled figure. As cheesy as it may sound, this Dalton really is a new kind of action hero, as caring and sensitive as he is ruthlessly violent when he needs to be.” – Boyd Hilton, Empire
“‘Road House’ is a mixed bag of blockbuster punches and quirky set pieces that give way to hyper-masculinity in the modern world. The ensemble understands the type of cartoonish movie they are in and the audience can easily follow along.” – Matthew Creith, The Wrap
“A film surprisingly void of the action and intensity its premise promises. The few fight scenes are technically dazzling thanks to Liman’s deft direction, but they are too infrequent to either provoke or interest the audience. Added to the insult is a script that relies heavily on dialogue, yet that fails every attempt at humor.” – Valerie Complex, Deadline
“Liman’s work in Road House is downright captivating. The fights are oiled to perfection, cameras planted on dollies and tracking his characters’ every last move. The director is completely unafraid to experiment, using every last trick in his arsenal to make the crowd go absolutely wild.” – Coleman Spilde, The Daily Beast
“Road House shapes up as a serviceable remake that knows what it is, and doesn’t strive to innovate beyond that. In other words, the perfect movie for streaming.” – James Preston Poole, But Why Though?
“Road House” will premiere on Amazon Prime Video on March 21st.
The post The “Road House” Reviews Are In appeared first on Dark Horizons.
