Road House is a high gloss B movie featuring an A list cast and director working on a C level script. Yeah it's dumb and rather silly over all yet occasionally director Limon's energetic shooting style and the cast clearly having a blast (especially McGregor) make you forget how ridiculously stupid and campy the story and dialogue is. It's a weird mix of good and bad that is entertaining enough but asks you to check your brain at the door.
The film has been criticized for the way Limon shot the fight scenes. They do have a "video game" aesthetic to them which doesn't quite feel real. But honestly I think this is a good choice stylistically. Nothing about this movie feels real so why should the fighting. Instead it's a heightened, stylistic approach which amplifies the film's fantasy feel. For me this worked. Gyllenhaal and McGregor's final fight was over the top and glorious.
But you really do have to forgive a lot about a film whose story is as damn predictable as this one and whose characters are drawn as thinly as they are here. It's not really very good but its about letting that go to have some fun. It's shallow and cheap fun and if there wasn't a cast including the likes of Williams and Gage, it would have likely felt even more obviously bad. In the end it's saved by its own embracing of its ridiculousness.
Road House
Starring: Jake Gyllenhaal, Conor McGregor, Daniela Melchior, Jessica Williams, Lukas Gage, Billy Magnussen, Joaquim De Almeida
Director: Doug Limon
Writers: Anthony Bagarozzi, Charles Mondry
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